A Tale of Monsters
by book typewriter
Summary: A story based on different characters on a different kind of quest. {All characters are my thought as well as the plot. Capcom own's Monster Hunter as well as the monster types, armors, weapons, etc. Rate and review so I can make this better along the way. Note: Was first Fan Fic so go easy on it please. Thank you and enjoy.}
1. Prologue

Introduction: Adventurers and Stories

Throughout the world, there are several adventurers. Some seek the sights of uncharted lands, or perhaps the casual stroll through a familiar place just to see it at a different angle. However, the most widely know are the Hunters. From beginners to masters, these adventurers are restless in their pursuit of whatever goals they set their sights on. From gathering materials to slaying mighty beasts, from battling the lowliest of jaggi to the seemingly unstoppable elder dragons. Hunters are without a doubt, the best adventurers the world has ever seen.

But, their stories of these adventures are perhaps even greater. To the common villager, a warrior in the strongest suit of armor with the most proficient weapon must have a tale behind such equipment. These legends are impossible to keep track of, yet they are loved by all. How an unlikely Hunter stumbles on a creature that is far stronger than what they were expecting, such as a Deviljho or an Azure Rathalos, only to best the monster and return with nothing more than a bruise. Stories make legends out of all.

But what happens when the story is not of those who seek the beast, but of the monster seeking out its own story?


	2. Chapter 1: Respite Island

It was a cloudy day above Respite Island. Many knew of the island as a place of exotic monsters, all of which were small, and the strange bond they share with the town of which the island takes its name after. To the average Hunter, they must remind themselves to keep their weapons locked up in their chests when walking ashore, since it would be quite difficult to put them back once one were to see what greats them.

"A ludroth?! What is that doing here?" a Hunter shouted as he walked onto the dock.

"Catching fish." one of the dock hands merely shrugged.

The Hunter cast a wary glance at the diminutive monster. He had a special distaste for them due to growing up in the Flooded Forest. However, it was simply staring at the water, patiently waiting. Without any warning, it dived into the sea only to pop back out after a few moments with a sushifish flapping helplessly. The Hunter watched as the ludroth gave a small flick and swallowed the fish before it looked at him curiously.

 _Ugh, why did I agree to take a vacation here?_ , he wondered as he walked away.

Before he even left the docks however, he looked back. He saw the ludroth apparently talking with something. From the distance and angle, he couldn't tell who or what it was talking to but it seemed to enjoy the conversation. It then looked at him again with what appeared a friendly smile before jumping back into the water.

 _Huh! Well, maybe this place wouldn't be too bad after all. Besides, if all the things here are that friendly and smart, maybe I'll be able to retire early_ , he thought.

A small distance from the port, an unusual hybrid zinogre (part normal, part stygian) walked up to a small house before stopping at the front door. Sitting down, it counted in its head until something happened inside.

"Yup," it said to itself, "He blew flash bomb up in his face."

"He blew a dung bomb up yesterday." a familiar voice called from above.

"Hello Susan." the zinogre said, looking up at a relaxed barioth.

"Anything new Sparky?" Susan asked.

"Nah, usual stuff at the docks. You?" Sparky replied.

"Richard won't shut up in the middle of the night." Susan groaned.

Sparky knew who Richard was and why he was making noise. He also had a rough idea where the nargacuga was.

"I'll talk to him," Sparky said, "Mind if I come in?"

"Help yourself."

Sparky brushed the door aside and took a small sniff. Definitely a dung bomb that went off yesterday. He then smelled a small trace of gunpowder as a man walked out of workshop, face covered in soot, goggles still over the eyes, and hair singed.

"Where did it go? Ah." the man groped for a washcloth before wiping his face clean.

"Hello John." Sparky woofed.

John looked over and noticed the guest. He wasn't surprised to see the blue, gray zinogre staring at him with a tail twitching in anticipation.

"You again? Any reason why you come here and yet you don't live here Sparky?" John asked before scratching Sparky behind the ears.

"John? I head something go off, are you alright?" someone called.

"I'm fine Grace, just a flash bomb this time!" John called.

Grace walked into the room, leather armor with a simple hunting knife sheathed behind her. Sparky knew she just got back from training.

"How did training go?" John asked.

"Good. A few more weeks and we'll be rangers." Grace said as she put the weapons away before petting Sparky.

Sparky decided to leave the two apprentices alone for a while and went out to the kitchen balcony. On the edge was Richard, looking towards the hills in the distance and muttering to himself.

"Blue mushrooms? No, those taste horrible! I already removed those from the list..." the nargacuga thought out loud on food recipes.

"Could simply try a steak." Sparky said.

"Sparky… How many times do I have to remind you to not interrupt me unless you want a face full of spikes?" Richard grumbled.

"How many times do I have to tell you to just tell her?" Sparky replied.

Richard's eyes glowed for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh. Sparky, despite being what several call a "stray", was family even if said family isn't as connected as it could be. He always was around to help and even went on expeditions to check on how the environment was doing. For the past few weeks, he has been helping Richard cope with his difficulty admitting his feelings to Susan.

"I want to make it special." Richard sighed.

"Just saying it will make it special," Sparky said as he lied down, "I talked with Harpoon before coming here and even she agreed."

"Harpoon eh? She still catching sushifish?"

"Yeah, she is."

Both monsters looked at each other. There wasn't much to talk about.

"Sparky, what is it like to live alone? I'm not saying this because I want to but...you seem to have less complicated things to think about." Richard broke the silence.

Sparky was mildly surprised by the question. He never really did figure out why he decided to live in the streets instead of indoors. His diet consisted mainly of scraps of food out in the street and any fish he managed to catch, his fur was dirty at best, and he was lonely. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to live indoors.

"Trust me on this Richard, it's miserable. You have those collars, I have annoying bugs that think I'm a normal zinogre one way or the other. You have food prepared for you, I have to look in the right places to find it. You and Susan have it lucky." Sparky said wistfully.

"John and Grace can bring you in you know. Would be more convenient for all of us." Richard suggested.

"I don't know Richard. I'm not ready yet."

"Alright. Not going to force you. Hey, mind if you help me with cooking?" Richard changed the topic.

Sparky grinned. Cooking was a challenge that often ended with Richard providing entertainment and Sparky getting a free meal (minding the charred parts).

"Sure." Sparky said.

John was lying on his bed. He cleaned up and was simply thinking about future plans. His thoughts were interrupted when Susan came inside and joined him.

"So, still being the lazy felyne of the house eh?" he asked, petting Susan.

"Maybe." Susan purred.

"Maybe I should bring you out on an expedition. Would get you active at least."

Susan continued purring as the petting continued. Personally, she only wanted to be comfortable but she wasn't below lying all day doing nothing. Besides, maybe she'll get lucky and the can go into the cooler regions of the island. Even in a semi-tundra environment, the island was warm and she found the heat more than a little annoying, even after seven years.

"Hey Susan," John said, talking more to himself than her, "What do you think of me proposing to Grace once we earn our ranger status?"

"You're asking me? I'm trying to figure out Richard." Susan replied, not caring that her owner didn't understand her.

"We could have everyone overlooking the town with a sunset. Maybe a few meals cooked from the street kitchen. Yeah, that seems good." Richard panned the future.

"Mmm hmm." Susan agreed before commotion outside ensured.

"Why does it keep burning?!" Richard yelled at the fish he was trying to cook.

"You leave it on too long." Sparky replied.

"Not helping!"

The angry nargacuga continued fuming at the burnt food. Sparky could only watch with amusement. It got even better when a town guardsman walked by with an amused look on his face.

"That's it!" Richard shouted before going somewhere to calm down.

 _I love this place_ , Sparky thought as he gave the guard a smile before receiving both the fish and a brief pat on the head.


	3. Chapter 2: Expedition Scouting

Chapter 2: Expedition Scouting

Sparky was waiting for John and Grace to hurry up. It was time for another expedition, part of their mandatory training to know the island and its environment so that it stays perfect. The economy was built on peaceful camping trips into this exotic location, so keeping an eye on the environment was important. In Sparky's case, he could leave whenever he wanted to, but it was more fun (and safer) to do it with the rangers.

 _Where are they? They don't usually take this long_ , he thought as he looked at a nearby sundial.

"Is it just me, or does that hybrid follow you two wherever you go?" a voice remarked.

Sparky looked over to the side to see John and Grace walk up with a veteran ranger. While the apprentices wore basic leather armor with light weapons (Grace with the hunting knife while John used an iron lance), the ranger had rathian armor with a blackgaurd charge blade.

"Well, Richard and Susan like him. Don't see what the problem about him is." Grace said before giving Sparky a jerky strip.

"Whatever. Just don't blame me when you get bugs in the house." the ranger shrugged.

"Hey, lay off Barry. Sparky hates bugs in his fur. Heck, I think he's the only zinogre that purposely avoids them." John snapped.

"And proud of it." Sparky agreed.

"As I said, not my problem. Now let's get going." Barry remarked.

The kebli grazing in the field gave a wary glance at the sight of the armored individuals as well as the zinogre that followed. Despite generations of living in sanctuary from blades, they were skittish by nature.

"Heh. They get overly excited just by looking at ya," Sparky laughed to himself before looking at a kebli nearby, "Boo."

The kebli took off in fright. Sparky gave a low laugh at the spectacle. Barry was less than amused.

"If he keeps that up, we'll have to start importing monsters because he gave them heart attacks." the ranger grumbled.

"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? You don't usually gripe this much." John commented.

"Shut up and keep count."

"He woke up on the wrong side of the bed." John whispered to Grace.

"I heard that! And where did that zinogre go?"

Sparky was more interested in looking for things to smell instead of listening to the others. Despite being a street side stray often looking for food, he was more than willing to go investigate something. Especially when something was more interesting than thrown out meat bones.

"What's in here?" he wondered as he stuck his head down a hole, smelling something unusual for this area.

"Oi! Take that mug of yours someplace else!" a low pitched voice of a lone baggi yelled.

"You going to let yourself known to the rangers?" Sparky called back.

"Get lost mutt!"

"John! Grace! Over here!" Sparky yapped.

The apprentices and ranger ran over and found the den. They quickly noticed how the rotting meat came reeking out and the familiar marks of mucus that made man and monster tired.

"Rouge baggi. Anyone got a smoke bomb?" Barry asked.

"I've-"

"Here." Grace cut John off, giving her partner a wary look that told him everything.

 _Well, he does have bad luck building bombs for whatever reason. Even the ones he makes right end up in a disaster_ , Sparky thought.

"Heh. Fire in the hole!" Barry yelled as the smoke bomb went into the burrow.

"Bloody hell! You little son-" the baggi yelped.

"I am one thank you very much. Try again." Sparky replied blandly.

The baggi came out snarling only to find itself cornered by the tense apprentices, a cautious ranger, and a bored looking zinogre. Slowly realizing the odds, it began to creep back into the smoke filled hole.

"Oh no you don't. Get over here." Barry exclaimed before throwing bashing the baggi in the head with his shield, knocking it out.

"Wonder why this one is all the way out here." John commented, putting his lance away.

"Doesn't matter. Let's just tie it up and bring it with us." Barry said.

Both apprentices groaned. Sparky looked bored.

"Quit whining and get to work!" Barry yelled.

"Wow. He really is in a bad mood today." Sparky muttered.

After an hour of dragging a tied up, knocked out baggi to the other half of the island, the party stopped for lunch near the hot springs located on the southern side of the northern hills. Sparky however was interested in a warm bath.

"Oh yeah does that feel good." he sighed in pleasure.

"Enjoying yourself over there?" John called out playfully.

"No, I'm hating it." Sparky replied sarcastically.

"Maybe we should force him into our apartment and give him a real bath. We could even try that shampoo meant for hide armors on him if we want." Grace suggested.

"You mean that wretched stuff that smells like stink hoppers? I don't think he'll like that." John objected.

"No I wouldn't." Sparky agreed.

Lunch continued for the others while Sparky's soak took away at least a weeks worth of grime. However, something felt...not exactly wrong but...off.

 _Wonder what's over there_ , Sparky leaped out of the water and shook himself dry.

He noticed a strange haze coming out of a crevice in the rocks. It wasn't there before. For some reason or another, it felt like it should be bad but it didn't. Walking over, he gave it a mild sniff. Deciding there was nothing wrong, he carefully walked closer to find the source.

"Now what do we have here?" he asked the egg on the ground.

"Get away from that!" Barry shouted, realizing the haze.

"What? What is it?" John asked, not realizing the situation.

"That's the Frenzy Virus!" Barry exclaimed, more alarmed than angry at this point.

"The what?!" Grace shouted, not fully realizing what was said.

 _Frenzy Virus?_ , Sparky wondered as the egg cracked.

Barry drew his blackgaurd and carefully moved along the edge of the haze to peer into the crevice. What came out surprised him.

The first attempts at freedom were weak. But the trap was keeping the curious explorer in. With every effort, the barrier between it and the world weakened. It finally broke free. At first, it's unusual parts that let it look wouldn't open. When they did, it was blurry but there was a picture in front of it. It gave a questionable look and wondered what was it.

Sparky never saw a creature like this before. It's head was mildly scary and the wings seemed to have arms on them. But he did know the look it gave him with those blue eyes.

 _No! No! No! I am-!_

"Daddy?" the little voice squeaked.

 _Well...hell_ , Sparky knew things just went from complicated, to impossible right then and there.


	4. Chapter 3: New Family Matters

Chapter 3: New Family Matters

"Daddy!" the gore magala squeaked again.

 _Help!_ , Sparky cried out silently in futile.

"You've go to be kidding me." Barry remarked, stunned at the fact that the zinogre was simply staring blankly at one of the most dangerous things in existence.

"Is that a gore magala?" John asked.

"I thought they were blind." Grace commented.

"They should be. Well, looks like the mutt actually found the little demon before it could do any harm." Barry said approvingly before reaching for his carving knife.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Grace asked.

"Stopping something before it gets out of hand." Barry replied nonchalantly.

"What?! No! Barry we're supposed to be rangers, not murderers!" John protested.

"As if it would do the same?"

"Look at it! Does it look like something threatening?"

"Now you listen you little brat," Barry snarled, "I'll be damned if I let that thing threaten this island. Rangers are to keep order on this island and if that means killing off young monsters, so be it."

"Barry how could you?" Grace gasped.

The three of them quickly began a heated argument. It was a challenge of ideals and morals. Does killing a potentially dangerous monster justify what seems murder? Does letting an innocent creature live one day come back to haunt one when it grows up to be a threat?

Sparky was all but oblivious to the others. All that mattered was him and the tiny gore magala in front of him. His mind was racing to find a solution but it was numb with shock. Sparky a parent? Absurd! He could babysit, nothing too difficult when a few others ask for him to look after their young while they were busy, but him actually taking the responsibility of parenthood?

"Uh... Can we talk about this?" he asked as the gore magala started climbing onto his back.

It didn't make sense. Sparky was a zinogre, this was a gore magala. He had fur that controlled lightning and dragon energy, it had scales that transmitted the Frenzy Virus. He didn't even have a mate and yet this thing saw him as its father. Oh how the mighty have fallen for poor Sparky!

 _Think damn it! Just reject it!_ , Sparky yelled at himself.

It would be so easy. Just a harsh bark, a little display, and turning his back would end the problem. But he couldn't. He had a soft spot for youngsters, especially cute ones that could melt ones heart just by looking at them. He knew how to handle young monsters and he has taken care of wyverians before.

 _Ooh! Getting-ack! Stay calm! He's settling down. Heh-heh, already asleep are we?_ , Sparky felt the sharp claws stop poking and pulling on him him as the gore magala fell asleep in a makeshift nest made out of his fur.

But how would he feed it? He barely knew anything about gore magalas and this one was the first he has ever seen! He was getting along well by himself in the streets but that would be not enough for a young monster. The streets also were dangerous, even to him. Disease, filth, competitive rivals who refused to share and often engaged in turf wars, bad food and water, the list goes on. Sparky learned how to grow up in that world and he has seen what it can do to a stray monsters mind. He probably would have lost his if it weren't for John and Grace giving him a free meal years back.

Now that was an appealing thought, he could leave it with them. That way... No that would be careless and heartless. Even if Susan and Richard were to take care of this creature while their owners were out and he was prowling the streets, it would still see him as its father. He didn't like the prospect of giving up his freedom, but the abandonment of a child was worse. With a final, heavy decision, he made up his mind.

"I'll do it," he whispered, part to himself, part to the sleeping gore magala on his back, "I'll be your daddy. I'll give up everything if I have to be your daddy."  
"Would you all shut up?!" A tired, loud, and angry voice called.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and noticed a tigrex. Those with armor and weapons braced themselves while a baby gore magala woke up and started crying.

"Oh for the love of everything, will you bloody pests go away? It's too early for this!" the tigrex growled, nearly roaring.

"Sorry! We were just leaving!" Sparky yelped, knowing quite well what a rudely awakened tigrex could do.

"Let's get out of here." John breathed, noticing Sparky making an escape.

"This isn't over." Barry warned.

"We'll leave the council to decide that." Grace replied with equal venom.

The tigrex watched as the intruders retreated. The hot springs were quite again, save for the bubbling and steams jets.

 _Bloody bastards_ , the tigrex thought, _Damned rangers pocking their bloody noses where they don't belong. And those weakling twits that live in that stink hole with the rangers. If they weren't too busy blowing their brains out, they could escape that place. Unbelievable bloody hell!_

With the final angry thoughts out of its head, the tigrex returned to its cave to sleep. It would hunt later and all thoughts of the unwanted visitors would be forgotten by then.  
Susan yawned as she watched the sun slip beneath the horizon. John, Grace, and Sparky were running unusually late. While she didn't fear for their safety, she was growing concerned. That, and she wished Richard would tell her what he was doing in the courtyard. He's been trying to do something for nearly three months and all he ever did is burn leftover food and return home with his tail spikes puffed out.

 _Maybe I could ask Sparky to help me know what he's doing that's so important_ , she thought.

Another loud roar signaled another failed attempt. She soon saw Richard walking home with his face covered in smoke and a bag filled with burnt food. Gliding down, she greeted him.

"Need help?" she asked.

"No." he snapped hotly before leaving the bag on the side of the porch and walking inside.

Susan grunted and sat down on the porch. It was getting later and later into the night and they still weren't home yet. She could think of a variety of things that were holding John and Grace up, but none for Sparky. He would have come over to say hello and when the apprentices were returning home long before they came up the street.

"What could possibly... There they are. About time also." She noticed the familiar figures rounding the corner.

Getting up to greet them, she was surprised to find Sparky walking obediently next to John and Grace. Coming into the light of a lantern, she was even more so. Sparky may be easily recognizable due to his fur being an mix of blue and gray, but it was never this bright. All the dirt, smudge stains, unkempt fur, and other signs of street life that symbolized a stray were gone other than a few minor scars. His fur was rich and colorful, claws trimmed, and the stench that used to be another characteristic that defined him was replaced with the smell of honey. The only way she knew it was him was that he was the only hybrid zinogre she knew and that his eyes were the same color of purple as always.

"Sparky?!" she exclaimed, still not believing what she saw.

"The one and only." Sparky replied with an embarrassed, prideful voice.

"How? What? What happened?!" Susan nearly shrieked.

"Yup, they were surprised. You're cleaning." John told Grace.

"That's only one of them. Besides, she still doesn't know about the second and third parts." Grace said with a smug voice.

"What second and third parts? Sparky, start talking or I'm going to freeze the stupid look on your face off!" Susan cried in hysteria.

"Calm down. I don't even know about a 'third part' but I do know what the second is. Say hello to Phantom." Sparky said calmly before lowering his head for Susan to look at his back.

Susan's eyes widened in surprise as she saw a tiny mass of black scales bundled in Sparky's fur. She quickly realized it was a sleeping baby monster.

"Who and what is it?" Susan asked, lowering her voice so that she didn't wake the sleeping mass.

"Phantom is apparently a gore magala. Ever heard of one before?" Sparky answered.

"No. What's so special about them?"

"Apparently the a cause for the Frenzy Virus, whatever the heck that is."

They quickly walked inside and started to make dinner. Richard was equally surprised but less expressive about it. Susan suspected he was still grouchy about whatever he was trying to do. Phantom quickly learned to acquire a taste for well-done steak and fiercely attacked the meat when it was presented to him.

"So why Phantom?" Richard asked after he finished his meal.

"He can create smoke somehow. Not my idea by the way." Sparky replied.

"He certainly looks cute whatever his name is." Susan said, getting closer to examine the gore magala.

"Daddy?" Phantom squeaked, still not entirely sure what to make of anyone else other than Sparky.

"That's Susan. She's saying hello." Sparky chuckled.

"Daddy!" Phantom squeaked happily before bounding to Susan.

"Can he say anything else?" Susan asked.

"That's all he has said so far."

"Will I do it or will you?" John asked Grace.

"I'll do it." Grace offered.

Grace got up and reached to Sparky. Seeing what she had in her hands, he relaxed and kept himself still when he heard a faint snap. She then grabbed something off the table and began tying it around his neck. Once she was done and stood back, a collar and bandana were on Sparky's neck.

"Well, the collar I was still debating but I knew nothing about the bandana." Sparky exclaimed.

"Well lucky you." Richard remarked.

"I guess that handles the 'third part'." Susan purred.

"Welcome to the family Sparky," Grace said, "It's a tie. Shall we split the washing?"

"Might as well." John admitted defeat.  
Hours later, Susan and Richard were staring at a sleeping Sparky and Phantom. Even though it was late in the night and their owners were fast asleep, the two of them stayed awake to look at their new family members.

"So he finally gave up street life." Richard broke the silence.

"Remember the first time we saw him? I thought he was going to bite my head off when I went to say hello." Susan replied.

"That was years ago Susan. Look at him now. He has a owners now, he lives with his best friends, and he has a son. Kind of envy him." Richard mumbled the last part quietly so that only he could hear.

"What do you think Phantom is going to be like?"

"Who knows? For now, he's simply the little guy of the family."

Both continued watching before deciding to go to sleep. Susan placed herself on the foot of John's bed, Richard slid under the bed sheets to be next to Grace, and Phantom slept between the guarding paws of his father. Sparky felt the small wiggle as Phantom made himself more comfortable and without realizing, his tail wagged and he snuggled even tighter to be with his son.


	5. Chapter 4: Life Indoors

Chapter 4: Life Indoors

Sparky had a difficult time getting used to pet life. He often found it more uncomfortable to be on a rug than hard stone for some reason and having free food that tasted like luxury every day felt...wrong. But Phantom loved this life. The little odd gore magala was also a trouble maker. First week of his life and he managed to somehow break into John's workshop before coming out with paint all over him. The week after, he ran off with Grace's under-ware and left it on Sparky's head while the latter was asleep. No one could stay angry for long though and the first month got most of the youngsters mischief sorted out.

"Well," Sparky said one afternoon as Phantom slept on a couch, "He finally calmed down."

"About time. Forgot how many times I had to keep my eyes from flashing. Do you have any idea how hard it is to do that?" Richard sighed.

"We know Richard. You've said that several times." Susan hissed.

The three of them were on in the foyer, enjoying a pleasant breeze that was coming through the door. Hopefully, an early mild winter would arrive soon.

"There they are." Richard noticed John and Grace arriving home early from a patrol.

Both rangers walked up and greeted their pets. However, before anyone could finish, a crash was heard in the kitchen.

"Phantom." all five said at once.

Rushing towards the kitchen, the spectacle of shattered clay jar was on the ground with a very familiar gore magala drooling a blue liquid that covered other parts of the body also. Noticing the contents of the jar, it was easy to tell exactly what the liquid was.

"Phantom... What did I say about running off?" Sparky scolded lightly.

"But daddy!" Phantom whined.

"None of that. No more nulberries for you today. Now I need to clean you up... Again." Sparky sighed before picking his son up by the back of the neck.

"I don't want a bath! Uncle Ricky! Aunt Susan! Help!"

"Sorry Phantom. But you were bad." Richard replied as the unhappy squeaking grew louder before fading as Sparky walked off.

"So much for keeping those for emergencies." Grace groaned, bending over to clean up the mess.

"I'll get the mop. I thought nulberries negate the Frenzy." John commented.

"Gore magala's aren't supposed to have eyes and the Frenzy Phantom produces does nothing. He's something else." Grace shrugged.

Sparky placed Phantom in a nearby alley before turning on a fountain. The water soon came out of the faucet and started washing the stains out while Sparky licked any places that were missed. Phantom couldn't help but giggle as his father cleaned him.

"There," Sparky said before turning the fountain off, "Promise to behave?"

"I promise." Phantom groaned, looking at the ground.

"Phantom." a warning growl.

"Yes daddy!" Phantom looked Sparky in the eye.

"Alright. Come on, let's go back."

Phantom followed behind Sparky slowly. Sparky felt mildly regretful for being harsh but Phantom needed a brief scolding every now and then or else he would go repeat the same mistake.

"Hey look! It's the creep!" a voice called.

Sparky turned his head and nearly let the stored energy inside of him flare. He never did like rival zinogre strays. He knew only two that roamed the streets he used to that were friendly, but the others rubbed him wrong. To make it worse, their offspring had even worse attitudes than their parents and they knew exactly how to use their obnoxious skills to take advantage of him.

"Get lost." he kept his temper in check.

"Oh! And he's got a freak with him also!" one of the pups exclaimed.

 _A freak?! That's it!,_ "Maybe I didn't make myself clear. Get lost!" Sparky could tolerate insults, but insulting Phantom was taking it too far.

"And what are you going to do?" a pup asked mockingly.

Sparky gave an angry howl at them before faking a charge. The obnoxious pups scattered back into the alleys. Feeling relieved, Sparky picked Phantom up and quickly returned home.

"Daddy?" Phantom squeaked, unfazed by his fathers sudden anger since it wasn't directed at him.

"Hmm?" Sparky asked.

"Am I a freak?"

Sparky almost dropped Phantom. The only thing he wanted to do on this trip was clean Phantom up. Now...how is he to handle this? Placing Phantom on the porch, Sparky sat down to begin.

"Phantom, remember how...how you were special? Being special doesn't make you a freak, it makes you my son." Sparky reasoned.

"But why did they call me a freak?" Phantom questioned.

"Because they're mean and bad."

"Like me?"

"No! You simply make mistakes. They try to be bad just so they can be bad."

"Why?"

"I don't know. But, you're not like them. That makes you better than them."

Phantom thought about this. He liked hearing that he was better than those mean kids. They probably didn't have special daddies like he does. But what made him so different from his when they looked like Sparky?

"Daddy. Why am I different from you?" Phantom asked.

"Well...um..." _Well hell. How do I say this?_ "Have I ever told you how why you live with your aunt and uncle and their owners?" Sparky tried to find a way of answering this unexpected question.

"What is it?! What is it?!" Phantom asked eagerly.

 _This makes things easier...somewhat._ "Well, about a month and half ago I found you. John and Grace were there also. But there was a bas- uh, a mean man who wanted to hurt you."

"Why?"

"I don't know. John and Grace didn't like him though so they talked with other people who were smart. These people let you come home with me and let John and Grace become rangers."

"But why am I different?"

"Phantom listen to me. It doesn't matter that you're different. You're my son. So I don't want to hear that you think otherwise. Just because you are different, doesn't mean you are different to me."

Phantom bounded happily to his father. He no longer cared why he was different because Sparky didn't care. Both shared a tender moment before going inside and spending the rest of the day with their family.

A few days later, Richard was once again trying to cook and was failing. Sparky was out of the house due to a sudden rash that broke out and needed to be looked out. Without his father and Susan sleeping next to a window, Phantom grew bored and began exploring. He knew Richard was in the kitchen doing something interesting, so he headed in that direction.

"One... Two... Three! Oh come on! I burnt another one?!" Richard growled.

"Uncle Ricky?" Richard heard a door open.

"What?!," Richard snapped, realizing too late that Phantom was in the kitchen and was starting to cry, "I'm sorry! Come on Phantom, I'm not mad at you! Uh, look! A flying fish!"

Phantom looked to see a burnt sushifish go flying across the room. The sudden spectacle made him curious. How did it suddenly move? But now it wasn't moving? It didn't have wings and it smelled funny, maybe the smell made it go flying.

"Can I help you with anything?" Richard asked, eyes no longer flashing.

"Why were you mad?" Phantom asked.

"I was trying to...make something for Susan." Richard said cautiously, unsure where this conversation would go.

"What is it?"

"Um, dinner. I was trying to make dinner for Susan."

"A special dinner?"

"Yes. A very special dinner. I'm just having trouble making it." Richard admitted.

"Oh," Phantom said before opening the kitchen door and poking his head out, "Aunt Susan! Uncle Ricky is having trouble making dinner!"

 _Bloody hell!_ "What?! No! No! I'm not! I'm not in the kitchen! Phantom, please sto-" Richard panicked.

"Then why are you yelling in there?" Susan asked.

"Uh... I can explain..." Richard said awkwardly.

"Richard," Susan growled, tired after being waken up and of Richard denying his antics for months, "Start talking or Phantom is going to learn what it means to roll a snowball downhill."

"Heh. Heh. Yeah... I'm sure that would be fun and all but... Ah he-heck. I can't deal with this anymore. Susan, do you like me?" Richard blurted.

"What does that mean?" Susan yawned.

"Do you, you know, like me?"

"Well, I like you as a friend and neighbor."

"I mean more than that."

"Like daddy and me?" Phantom intervened.

"Eh, kinda like that only...for grown ups." Richard answered.

Susan snapped awake. She finally figured out what Richard was asking and why he was so nervous about it.

"Richard, are you asking me if I love you?" Susan questioned.

"I was trying to make something before I asked but...yes." Richard answered.

"Come here you big oaf." Susan purred.

Phantom was quite amused as the two felynes nuzzled each other. While he didn't fully understand what was happening, he felt happy about it. Besides, after seeing the way John and Grace look at each other and now this, the only thing he could conclude was that adults had strange ways of simply saying they love each other. It would be so much easier if they would just simply say it like his daddy does to him.


	6. Chapter 5: Rangers and Snow

Chapter 5: Rangers and Snow

"But why are they going?" Phantom asked when John and Grace left with Susan and Richard in tow for another patrol.

Sparky sighed. Ever since Phantom has came into the apartment, there always was at least two other individuals to look over him. Now, only Sparky was staying home while the others were out.

"They want to be alone together. Besides, we can enjoy the house. Just you and me." Sparky said as he pulled Phantom away from the window.

"But when will they be back?" Phantom asked.

"Later," Sparky said, "Now come on. How about we meet a few old friends of mine? Maybe Circus is at the docks."

Elsewhere on the island, Susan was keeping a wary eye on a wild barrioth. John didn't notice the hostility as he was busy counting the number of popos grazing in the field.

"Will you just go away already?" Susan asked the other barrioth.

"What? Can't a barrioth sun himself these days? It's almost winter and I hate the snow. Might as well enjoy the sun while I can." was her reply.

 _Hate the snow? How... Nope! Not going to ask_ , Susan thought.

"Twenty-four... Ah well, probably just a late breeding season or something." John muttered as he finished counting.

"Finally." Susan grumbled.

"Can I enjoy myself now?" the other barrioth asked.

 _This is going to be a long day_ , Susan thought.

 _I hate giggi_ , Richard thought as he watched one of slug-like monsters back in fear.

"Disgusting things. The only thing worse is a gigginox. At least tigrex's don't look like something straight out of a nightmare hell." Grace waved the torch around to keep the giggi back.

Richard had to agree. While not liking tigrex in general, he could hold a reluctant polite talk with one and found them at least honest whenever they got angry. Giggi however were no better than fish or bugs. Dumb and (at times) ugly as they are deadly. And he had to agree on one other thing, gigginox are truly worse than their offspring. First time he saw one, he wouldn't sleep for a month.

"Stay back you ugly bastards and go back to hell." he growled before throwing a few spikes at the slithering figures.

"Ya know..." Grace started talking.

"No I don't." Richard sighed, still watching the shadows.

"I can understand why we go about preserving the ecosystem of this island, but do we have to limit mineral gathering? Plants take time to grow, rocks don't. Wait...that didn't come out right." Grace realized what she said.

"Nope." Richard agreed.

"Still, probably taking the ore out of the walls with pickaxes wouldn't destroy the island."

"No, but it would leave a hole in the side of a mountain."

The two of them continued searching until they came to the end of the cave. Satisfied that there was nothing out of the ordinary in the ice caves, they quickly left. There was something about them on this island that unnerved everyone who ventured near them. Even the baggi stay away from them. The reason was the fact that normal sized gigginox (as in dwarfing everything since they weren't miniture) usually decide to take an interest in the island by going into the caves. Even if the giant flying monsters were nowhere on the island, their influence was a constant.

They soon met up with John and Susan. Continuing their patrol, the group found themselves at the final spot to examine.

"The Dragons Gaze. Still the best place on the island." John commented.

"Despite being a favorite for everything else, yes." Grace agreed.

"The Dragons Gaze" was nothing more than a sea cliff that overlooked the town and a decent portion of the island. But it surprisingly was the best place to be at due to a decent temperature, fantastic view, and peaceful feeling. Some even claim they could be next to a pair of raths and a tigrex at once and still enjoy the cliff. For a relatively small area, it was the biggest highlight of the island.

"Well... anything new on your patrol?" Susan asked Richard.

"No. Just creepy giggi." Richard answered.

"Yuck."

John noticed how the two felynes got themselves into a conversation. Remembering why he scheduled this trip (mainly due to him also remembering Susan and Richard being more expressive to each other), he faced Grace.

"I uh, scheduled this spot for today." he blurted.

"You did, did you?" Grace questioned.

"Yeah. As much as I enjoy the view," John got down into a kneel, "I wanted to make this special. Grace, will you marry me?"

Grace was shocked when John pulled a box out with a ring. Even Susan was surprised.

"Well, now I know what he was rambling about." she exclaimed surprised.

"Guess I'm not the only one who takes forever." Richard said before getting a glare from Susan.

"I...John, I don't know what to say." Grace stammered.

"This should help." Richard said smugly as he gently thumped Grace to step forward.

"Richard!" Susan scolded.

"What?" Richard asked in a childish voice, feigning innocence.

"Well?" John asked, keeping his voice even but hinting anticipation.

"Yes. Of course John!" Grace practically shouted in joy.

"And they live happily ever after, the end." Richard snickered.

"I am going to freeze you and throw you over the cliff! Get over here you idiot!" Susan growled and was forced to take flight to pursue Richard who in turn was laughing while dodging a very angry Barrioth.

A few weeks later, Phantom woke up cold. Despite the nights getting colder and colder, it never seemed to carry on to the morning. But today, it was freezing even as he slept next to Sparky. The sun also wasn't out but there was a gray light coming through the window. Curious, he looked outside and noticed something very different.

"Daddy!" Sparky woke up to a constant pull on his tail.

"What?" Sparky groaned.

"It's raining!" Phantom cried out.

"Go back to sleep Phantom."

"It's raining pillow stuffing outside!"

Pillow stuffing? What?! Sparky got up and looked outside. He couldn't understand what the problem was, it was simply snow. Then it hit him, Phantom has never seen snow.

"It's not pillow stuffing," Sparky yawned, "It's snow."

"Then why is it raining?" Phantom asked.

"Well, the proper term is 'snowing' but it's like rain. Only cold. You know how Aunt Susan can freeze things? It's like that only as frozen rain." Sparky explained.

"Is it safe?"

"So long as you don't get too cold or lost in the middle of nowhere in it."

Phantom bounded outside excitedly and nearly ran face first into a tank that was rolling down the street. Its crew however was more excited about the small wall of snow up ahead where another tank was.

"Ready? Fire!" the crew of melynx called before a snowball was sent flying out of the barrel.

Phantom was surprised to see this. Pretty soon, more tanks joined the battle and snowballs were flying all over the place with a few children and even adults joining in. It almost seemed natural to see the snow-warfare take place even though he has never seen a snowball fight before.

"Ah yes. The customary snow war. Crazy folk just couldn't play around in it normally. Nope! They have to have a war." a stray zinogre stated.

"Uh..." Phantom was unsure on who this was.

"You're Sparky's kid aren't ya? Been wondering where that old flea bag went. Name's Lightning." the zinogre introduced himself.

"Lightning? What the heck are you doing around here?" Sparky exclaimed, walking outside to check on Phantom.

"Looking for you. Heard about a certain cross-bread that put street life behind him." Lightning replied.

"Daddy, who is Lightning?" Phantom asked.

"Just a a friend little guy. Nothing more than that."

"Go on and have some Phantom. Me and Lightning have some...adult talk we would like to do." Sparky nudged Phantom away.

Phantom ran off and jumped into a soft pile of snow. He was delighted to see the white explosion come falling back down and began actively seeking similar piles to bound into. Sparky and Lightning looked at this and chuckled.

"So," Lightning began, "How's house life treating ya?"

"Feels like I'm in heaven and hell at the same time. One moment I get everything I want delivered right to me and the next moment I feel like I just got stuck in a barrel like the time when we were pups. But Phantom loves it." Sparky answered.

"I picked up a few rumors about the little guy. Heard that Scrap's kids tried to get under your fur again by attacking him."

"Not physically but those little bastards and their parents need a good wallop in the head."

"I believe the term is 'I'll drink to that'."

Both zinogres gave a light laugh over this. Sparky hasn't felt this alive since the day Phantom came into his life. Even though he occasionally met with a few former friends, he was a stray at heart and house life was a very difficult thing to deal with.

"Tell me Lightning, am I missed on the streets?" Sparky asked seriously.

"Somewhat. You were one of the friendly neighbors to have and now all anyone sees of you is whenever you decide to take a walk every once in a while." Lightning said.

"The joys of parenthood." Sparky whined.

"Don't give me that junk. You're doing what's right. Hell, I probably would still be there with my fur falling out."

"Still... It's hard Lightning and I'm not just talking about Phantom. My world is upside down."

"Well, you have friends, you can live your life on your paws instead of begging for it...who knows? Try looking at the positive things in this life." Lighting suggested before leaving.

Sparky thought about this. While his life certainly took an odd twist of fate, it seemed to be no different than his previous one. Besides, there was one positive improvement that this life had in it.

"Phantom! Come on, I want to show you something!" Sparky called to his son.

Phantom cocked his head in wonder. Daddy showing him something? What could possibly be more interesting than this miraculous snow? Regardless, he followed his father.

"What is it?" he asked.

"You'll see. We need to get to the grazing fields first though." Sparky answered.

Phantom sighed at this but was immediately surprised to see a cloud come out of his mouth! While he has tried practicing with the "Frenzy" as everyone calls it, all that came out of his mouth was gargled black saliva that tasted like hair for some reason. But this was something else. All he did was breath normally and a clear cloud came out. Testing it again, he was amazed. Sparky chuckled at this and let Phantom continue his experiment until he decided to figure the mystery out later.

After a couple of minutes, they arrived, "Take a look at the stream." Sparky said.

Phantom looked at the stream as told...or where it should have been. Instead of flowing water, there was a solid block of ice. Perhaps Aunt Susan got really angry and froze the stream last night? No, that was silly.

"What happened to it?" Phantom asked.

"It froze overnight. It should be perfectly solid. Want to know what it's like to go ice skating?" Sparky asked eagerly.

Sparky carefully tested the ice before jumping on it. He knew he blew Phantom's mind once we was sliding on the ice effortlessly. The gore magala couldn't resist and jumped right onto the ice. Only to fall on his face and slide into Sparky.

"It takes some practice. But half the fun is falling." Sparky said before picking Phantom up to give him another try.

Phantom was about to try again until he heard a small growl from his stomach. It was quickly followed by a similar one from his father.

"Heh... Guess we forgot about breakfast." Sparky said.

"Maybe there will be tuna. A glutton tuna!" Phantom said in anticipation for a meal.

"Let's find out. We'll try again later." Sparky said before leading his son back home to enjoy breakfast.


	7. Chapter 6: A New Disaster

Chapter 6: A New Disaster

The past few weeks have seen plenty excitement. Between the planned marriage, a feathery snow fall that entertained the monsters, and the warm feeling all around Respite, many found themselves constantly up and about. Even the monsters, pets or strays, realized the increase in activity. Some more than others as Susan and Richard found themselves in the same position as their owners as well.

"You do realize we don't have to do this... right?" Richard remarked.

"Says the nargacuga who tried for four months to cook a meal for a barrioth who threatens to freeze things." Susan said.

"Touche."

"So, exactly what were your plans after revealing your feelings for me?"

"Uh..."

"Don't tell me, you didn't think that part out."

"Yes?"

"Richard."

"Uh-oh."

"I am going to freeze you so cold, you are going to die shivering years later."

"Can I roll him into a fire pit to warm him up?" Phantom asked, walking in on the conversation.

"You wouldn't have to, but thanks anyway little guy." Richard said.

"Phantom, I thought I said you were to get cleaned up." Sparky remarked.

"I did." Phantom replied.

"Then why do you smell like fish? Get over here."

On the other side of town, inside the Ranger Headquarters, John was pacing. It took weeks of planning and now all he had left were hours. He wasn't afraid about backing off, more so if it would go well.

 _Calm the hell down already_ , he told constantly told himself.

He knew everything was going to work the way he planned but he had second doubts, namely on nearly impossible events. The worst however was a lingering thought of something else. Something that was quite likely but equally unlikely. It sent chills up his spine and the last time that happened was when a deviljoh swam up a beach half dead. Even though a team of expert Rangers took care of it, he felt a sense of dread that day.

"Hey John. Ready for tonight?" a Ranger asked.

"Yeah. Just thinking..." John answered.

"Ha! Not even married and you're already thinking! So what will the names be?"

"What? No! I'm... Nevermind."

"Just teasing ya. Well, best of luck."

"Hey, is Bernard coming?"

"Nope. That SOB is busy checking on the Baggi's up north."

"Good. Still not sure why he went sour for no reason though."

A few hours later, the wedding was underway. Sparky made sure that Phantom had a Sleepyfish to keep the anxious gore magala calm. Although, he was hopping it wasn't too much. Still, the prospect of something special and a nulberry pie was enough to keep the drowsy infant partially awake. If there was any food Phantom loved more than seasoned fish grilled to perfection with the right amount of spices, it was nulberries.

"I know, I know," Sparky whispered as Phantom gave an agitated yawn before shifting his balance, "It's only for a few more minutes."

Phantom yawned again. He now knew why a Sleeepyfish was named a Sleepyfish. He also was smart enough to know why his father gave him one instead of a Sushifish. The waiting was long and boring and if he were fully awake, he would have walked out. However, looking back across the room, he saw John and Grace kiss each other. Next thing he knew, the area broke into cheers. His tired, young mind processed this as some random magical event that adults found good.

Sparky felt his tail wag. Even though Phantom would probably pester him with questions later, he was happy for his owners. Life no longer seemed complicated as split world of being a pet or a stray, there were no more complications about being a father or a simple survivor, the only thing that mattered was this moment.

 _About time_ , Richard and Susan thought together although still happy.

Hours later, the town was having a full party going on. Food, games, even items were given out for free. The monsters quickly found themselves enjoying it as well. Pets got a free excuse to meet friends, strays were given a free night to have decent food (even unfinished scraps were plentiful), and several knew that they could enjoy the attention of pedestrians who simply walked by and stopped to give some affection.

"Sparky!" Lightning called.

"Hey! How's it going?" Sparky asked.

"Good. How's Phantom?" Lightning asked.

"Probably asleep by now."

"Why do you say that?"

Sparky looked towards a dinning table and saw the tiny figure under it. Lightning, following his gaze, say that Phantom fell asleep by having half his face in a half-eaten nulberry pie.

"Maybe that Sleepyfish was a little too much for him." Sparky said with a cringe.

"Nah, little guy will be fine. Although he will be surprised when he wakes up." Lightning said.

Sparky laughed at this. Phantom may love nulberries, but he was in for a surprise if he woke up with his face still buried in the pie. Ah the little joys of laughing at one's expense good heartedly, even if it was your adopted son.

"So," Sparky started once he was finished laughing, "Miss anything in the alleys the past few months?"

"Nothing new other than word spreading about a particular zinogre and gore magala. You really shook the streets doing what you did Sparky." Lightning answered.

"You try scarring a new born who looks at you and calls you 'daddy'." Sparky snorted.

"You always did have-" Lightning was cut off by a sudden gust of wind.

The air become thick with some kind of cold, dread, and death all at once. It wasn't just a random gust, it was a storm blowing through the entire city. All commotion stopped as eyes looked towards the dark clouds above. One thing was for sure, this was not normal.

"I think we should get inside." Sparky said uneasily.

"Yeah me too." Lightning agreed.

Before either could move, something slammed into a building causing it to crumble. Panic broke out as the unexpected attack barraged the city. Why were they under attack and (perhaps more importantly) what was the thing behind it?! The answer came out of the sky like a divine being with terrible wrath.

"What the hell is that thing?!" John yelled.

The beast roared and the square pulsed with energy. The ground became a sudden minefield as small explosions blew tables, chairs, and anything not bolted down into the sky.

"Kill! Kill! Destroy everything! Slaughter!" the thing shrieked in an agonized, overjoyed voice.

"Sparky! Get over here!" Richard called.

"I'm not going anywhere without Phantom!" Sparky yelped.

The hybrid spun around to see the "thing" going on rampage, right next to where Phantom is hiding. The sight made Sparky boil and as he prepared to let loose the volatile energy inside of him. However, there would be nothing he could do as something hit him in the head hard. The last thing he heard was a panicked squeak and a triumphant roar.

"...he...up?" something spoke.

"-ow...know?" another asked in return.

 _Where am I? Gah! What the hell?!_ , Sparky thought as migraine speared his head.

"He's coming to." John's voice said over him.

Sparky woke up and groaned. He felt something cold being placed on his head and a delicious smell wafted into his nose. Too hungry and tired to think about anything else, he eagerly bit into the steak.

"Glad to see you're still in there. Got worried after three days." John said.

 _Three days? Damn, how long was I...Phantom?_ , Sparky suddenly realized the familiar pressure on his paws was missing.

"I'm sorry Sparky," John said, realizing the zinogre's distress, "It took Phantom and left. Bloody monstrosity."

The headache stopped, the hunger stopped, everything stopped. Phantom was taken?


	8. Chapter 7: The Quest Begins

Chapter 7: The Quest Begins

Sparky took it hard. The first few minutes he was looking all over the house and howling for Phantom. Later, he couldn't eat. But the worst was when he finally fell asleep. The zinogre wasn't able to get any decent rest. The missing feeling of a squirming gore magala was missing, the pressure on his paws was no longer there, and the nightmares. His mind tormented him to no end as vision after vision of horrors plagued him. Susan and Richard had to offer him comfort and even then the whimpering didn't cease. This carried on for several days and showed almost no sign of stopping.

"What are going to do?" Richard sighed, pushing a bowl of chopped steak aside.

"Like I know?" Susan growled unhappily, not having the heart to put any annoyance into it.

John and Grace were busy maintaining order and waiting for aid from the different hunting guilds. The monster that attacked them was none other than a shagaru magala, one of most dangerous elder dragons ever discovered due to the Frenzy. Why it attacked and ran off with Phantom was a mystery. But its acts left a terrible blow on the monsters and their owners. That "monstrous thing" may be a threat few could hope to challenge, but if they could get their way with it, they would make it suffer. It was not the magala they knew, not the innocent, sweet Phantom who could never be related to such a hellish nightmare.

But perhaps the ones who took it the worst, were the pets. While both felynes didn't know the depression of their friend, the blow was difficult. Species was not a barrier in this family of misfits and Phantom was an equal member of it. Innocent, blissful, and (if anyone said differently they had to be something wrong with them) adorable all at once. The gore magala brought them all closer together than they realized, just by being nothing more than an infant.

"Maybe we should leave him alone." Susan suggested.

"Damn it all! This isn't right! If I could find that thing, I would tear it apart just to have things back to normal." Richard suddenly exploded, frustration reaching the breaking point.

Sparky stopped sulking. He heard the sudden outburst and strangely felt a familiar fire burn inside. When rival strays became threats to his neighbors and himself, he dealt with them until they learned to fear the alleys he called home. Now, he had a new purpose.

 _Hide wherever you want bastard_ , he thought, _I know you're out there and I'm coming for you... And when I'm done, I'm bringing my son back._

His heart pulsed with righteous fury. That "thing" took Phantom somewhere and he knew his son was still alive. Self doubt was erased by parental anger. But he would first need a way of tracking it and then getting off the island. Getting up and out the door, he sprinted for the docks.

"What the? Where is he going?!" Susan exclaimed.

Circus was practicing drawing. Most would find it odd to see an ash kecha wacha with a sketch book, but Circus was no ordinary kecha wacha to begin with (even less ordinary than the other ones on the island). A helping hand on a fishing boat and more interactive than overly playful, he often wanted to fit in any way he could. And to do that, he self taught himself how to read, write, and draw.

At the moment, he was drawing a clock tower. It was a work in-progress but artistically done. But he was finding it difficult to finish. Was it because the clock tower in the center of town was destroyed? Or perhaps it was because of the attack itself that lingered? Circus had no idea. The following days were difficult for everyone and not even his playful nature, hardwired into him no matter how weak it is, could fight back the pain and sadness.

"Circus!" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Sparky. What brings you here?" Circus asked, putting the book aside.

"I need a favor from you," the hybrid zinogre said, voice hard and slightly menacing, "I need to borrow your ship."

"You're joking." Circus said blankly before laughing.

"Actually, I'm hell-bent. I'm asking nicely." Sparky said in the same voice.

That shut Circus up. Sparky was an old friend and he was not one to ask for favors unless he needed them. But why in the world would he need a ship? More importantly, why this one?

Probably because it was the only one where he had someone who was a friend that could control the thing...great.

"Why? You're not asking to just go off blindly and I know you plan on taking me. So spill." Circus said.

"How would you like to go...hunting?" Sparky smiled darkly.

The next few days, Richard noticed Sparky was much busier than even before he came a pet. Susan mostly ignored it but Richard knew Sparky better. Perhaps it was a "guy thing" as John would say, but Richard knew Sparky was being quite odd after recently snapping from a depressed state. Why was he out of the apartment so often? Where did he go late at night? And why were the streets buzzing with excitement from the strays?

 _Where are you going my electric friend?_ , Richard thought as he tailed Sparky one night.

"-at? No! I said I need extras...Accidents happen that's why...Come on. I let you have half a thrown out steak once...Alright, I get it. I did cause a mess but I'm asking you as a former stray and an honorable one at that...Thanks." Sparky finished talking with someone.

"You always had a way with words." a ludroth said.

 _Harpoon?_ , Richard wondered.

"Is everything all set on your end? I don't want anyone coming after me." Sparky growled.

"Took some convincing but they'll do it. You were quite the company back in the day." Harpoon answered.

"Thanks. I'll pay everyone back when I get back."

"Sparky, I understand why you're going but are you sure about this? You know those hunters will see you as nothing more than a trophy the moment you leave Respite."

"Let me handle that. Besides, who would attack a zinogre who sails a boat into port?"

"With an ash kecha wacha."

"What?!" Richard exclaimed, eyes flashing and tail spikes stretched out in a sudden bout of excitement.

"Richard? What are you doing out here?" Sparky asked.

"What am I doing out here? What in the bloody hell are you doing out here?! And just where do you plan on going with this boat and kecha wacha I hear about, you damn lunatic?!" Richard exploded.

Sparky was taken aback by this sudden outburst. While Richard had a...volatile attitude at times, he couldn't remember seeing a nargacuga this angry before. Then again, has he ever seen an enraged nargacuga before?

"That's something I'd like to know also." another voice stated.

"Great. What's next? We invite a tigrex who's sea sick with us?" Sparky sighed, knowing that Susan was most likely about to threaten to freeze something...again.

This entire meeting was meant to make the final plans to what Sparky had in mind for over a week. Now, he may have to scrap everything. Or did he? He was planning on going alone...mostly alone to be more specific depending on Circus' attitude. But perhaps he had a chance to have some more company.

"Just what is going on here?" Susan asked, voice as cold as the possible outcome of an undesirable answer.

"What are you doing here?" Richard exclaimed.

"Followed you. I believe this is where I say-"

"Will you two stop?! I'm under enough stress as is," Sparky growled before sighing, "I'll come clean. I'm going after that thing and bringing Phantom back."

Both felynes balked at this. They were unsure on what was driving Sparky, now they are unsure if they are liking it.

"If you want to join me then please do. If not...take care of John and Grace for me." Sparky said before heading off.

"Alright you," Richard pointed his attention towards Harpoon, "Talk. Where is he going?"

"Don't know. I don't even think he knows himself. All we are doing is getting him supplies and stalling the fishing fleet." Harpoon answered bluntly.

Both felynes looked stunned before rushing towards the docks. They found the zinogre preparing to step on board a small fishing ship with a kecha wacha waiting.

"We've got company Sparky." Circus warned.

"I'm not changing my mind." Sparky said without turning around.

"Why are you doing this? Damn it Sparky, you're insane!" Susan yelled.

"Huh. This is the longest I've seen you angry without threatening to freeze me yet Susan."

"Stop beating around the bush Sparky. Just where did you get this crazed idea?" Richard demanded.

"From you." Sparky said simply.

"Me?" Richard exclaimed, more confused than angry at this.

"You said would 'tear it apart just to have things back to normal'. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm getting my son back as well." Sparky answered.

"I'm just in for the fun really. Besides, who ever has heard of a bunch of monsters going...well...'monster hunting' after an elder dragon?" Circus said, not liking the fact he was being ignored.

"What he said," Sparky said, "Look, I love both of you but this is something you can't talk me out of. Please don't make this harder than-"

"I'll go." Susan said.

"So am I. We can't talk you out of it so we'll make sure you come back from it." Richard agreed.

"I don't think it works like that..." Circus muttered, still ignored.

"You sure? This isn't going to be going out into the wilds of Respite." Sparky said.

"Stop being controversial and let's get on with it before we change out minds. Just why in the hell are we agreeing to this?" Richard rolled his eyes.

The next morning John and Grace were surprised to find their pets missing. They were also quite surprised to find commotion at the docks. Heading there, they found the fishermen unable to get through a wall of monsters who simply wouldn't move out of the way.

"Move the lot of you! Come on! Move it already!" a fisherman yelled.

"I don't think we're going to get much luck today. Ice fishing anyone?" another suggested, giving up on getting past.

"What's all this?" Grace asked.

"No one knows. They just won't move and one of the boats is missing." someone answered.

"This doesn't make any sense. Most of these monsters are strays. What on earth are they doing?" John wondered.

"That and where are our pets?" Grace followed.

It would take hours for them to figure out that the missing boat was commandeered and already heading south. It would take even longer for the questions to stop since the answers were only on the boat and would only be answered if it and its crew returned.


	9. Chapter 8: Searching for Clues

Chapter 8: Searching for Clues

MESSAGE STARTS: UNUSUAL FISHING SHIP SPOTTED NORTHEAST OF DESERTED ISLAND STOP CREW IS NOT IN CONTROL BUT MONSTERS ARE ROAMING ON THE SHIP STOP NO SIGNS OF HOSTILITIES ARE TO BE SEEN ON THE DECK STOP MONSTERS MAY BE IN CONTROL AND HEADING TO A DESTINATION STOP WILL FOLLOW AT A DISTANCE STOP I AM SERIOUS JERRY STOP IF YOU PULL THAT "HIGH" JOKE AGAIN I'LL SHOW YOU JUST HOW HIGH I CAN GO AND DROP YOUR FAT ASS INTO A VOLCANO STOP MESSAGE END

The small crew were busy getting themselves organized as they sailed. Sparky found himself cleaning the deck, Richard controlled the rudder, Susan kept their food from spoiling (complaining that she had to freeze things while doing so), and Circus kept the sails and ropes in good condition.

"Do we even know where we are going?" Susan asked, breath coming out in clouds after refreezing the food.

"Not really." Circus answered.

"Do we have any idea on where to start looking then?"

"First place we find is the first place we start looking." Sparky grumbled, scrubbing a smudge stain that refused to come off.

"So we are completely clueless then."

"Why am I doing this?" Richard asked in the back.

"Quit whining Richard. You used to give yourself neck cramps trying to cook." Sparky replied.

"Maybe I should come on land more often." Circus muttered.

"Seriously boys, just what is the plan to begin with?" Susan rolled her eyes.

"I told you already." Sparky answered.

"That's not an answer."

"No fighting on my ship." Circus called.

"I remember us stealing it." Richard said.

"It's not even yours to begin with!" Susan growled.

"Does it matter?!" Circus yelled.

Beneath the waves, two large shapes swam. It was that time of year again for them. For one it was to see grandchildren, the other was more interested in hearing what others have been up to. The first being an abyssal lagiacrus, the other being a goldbeard ceadeus. Being deep see monsters, faint noises were easy for them to pick up. At the moment, a particular set of noises came from above. They originally dismissed it as angry sailors but the longer they listened, the more they realized that they sounded different.

"What do you think it is?" the ceadeus asked.

"How should I know? Maybe they're transporting a lot of captured monsters." the lagiacrus suggested.

"Should we take a look?"

"And risk getting attacked?"

"I'd say it's fishing boat. What could they do? Shoot a net at us?"

"Fine, but we keep our distance."

Meanwhile, the argument continued. If they were to stop and think about it, they would wonder exactly what they were arguing about at this point. However, it seemed as if they wanted to skin each other and make a rug out of the fur.

"This is my ship and I'm ordering you to shut up!" Circus screeched.

"Uh guys..." Richard stopped arguing.

"Why should we listen to you?!" Susan asked Circus.

"Guys."

"We are wasting time here! Just focus on working!" Sparky growled.

"Guys."

"You have no idea where we are going!" Susan.

"Guys!"

"This is my ship!" Circus.

"All of you shut the hell up already!" Richard roared.

The other three stopped bickering and looked towards Richard who had his eyes flashing with anger. Before they could say anything, he turned his head to the side. Following his gaze, they all yelped in shock. Barely a hundred feet away were two of the most dangerous sea creatures in the world, staring at the scene with perplexed (but mildly amused) looks.

"Well this is something." the lagiacrus said.

"Indeed." the ceadeus agreed.

"Uh... Can we help you?" Circus asked.

"Just curious," the ceadeus said, "It's not everyday you see a fishing boat being sailed by monsters."

"Just a bit...agitated on where we're going. Nothing to concern you two." Sparky said uneasily.

"Ha! This is too much! After two hundred years and we finally see something new other than another new species of giant squid." the lagiacrus laughed.

"Well, they do taste good." the ceadeus mused.

"Uh look, obviously we have disturbed you so we will go back to finding our way and do it-" Richard began.

"Oh shush. If there's one thing I can't stand it's something being lost. We're heading towards an island to catch up some friends. We can help you get there." the ceadeus cut in.

"Oh... Uh... Thanks then." Sparky said.

Dillon was sitting at the canteen in Moga Village. He heard a of a report of a strange fishing boat a few days ago but the Dragon Watch manager for the region, Jerry, claimed it was nothing. Still, hearing the specifics made him a bit cautious so he bought a ticket to Moga. He only got off the trade ship that took him here only ten minutes ago and was hungry. Currently, he was enjoying lunch and watching the villagers continue their business.

 _Ah Moga_ , he thought, _Crown jewel for hunters who love a region where hunting grounds are diverse but close. Wonder if I could gather some items here..._

His hands twitched for his bloodwing dual swords when he heard a noise behind him but he relaxed, seeing that it was nothing more than the village chief (who everyone calls Junior for some reason) walking towards him.

"A bit jumpy are we?" Junior asked.

"Can't be helped. You try fighting gigginox's when a torch goes out during a blizzard at night in a cave. At least I've managed to make an armor set out of them." Dillon defended himself.

"No big deal. You should have seen our local hero first time he saw a lagiacrus. He was so shook up that he refused to come away from the farm for a week out of fear of the thing coming through the village square."

"That must have been awkward for him. So, any news on that boat?" Dillon changed the topic from casual to business.

"Eh...kinda." Junior answered uneasily.

"Define 'kinda'."

"Well...for the past few years we have been seeing an abyssal lagiacrus and a goldbeard ceadeus arrive around this time. They don't cause trouble but one of our fishing boats noticed a ship being pushed by them. Normally, I would send the big guy with some help but he's out teaching a rookie."

"Well, I came here to look into odd rumors. I'll be ready in a few minutes, just let me grab my armor."

"That's the beach there. Just be careful about the village on the other side, hunters are attracted to this place." the ceadeus told the crew of the ship.

"Thanks for everything." Susan said.

"Good luck on your search." the lagiacrus replied before going underwater.

"Right, let's get on with this then. Richard, turn a little to your left. Sparky, grab onto that rope. Susan, grab the other one." Circus ordered, knowing how to land a ship.

The others were too restless to be on solid ground to care about being ordered. Doing as they were told, they directed the boat straight for the beach. Little did they know, they were being watched by a hunter above.

"So...what do we have here?" Dillon asked himself as he saw the boat get closer before jumping over the side of a cliff.

"Hmm?" Sparky looked up towards a cliff.

"I didn't say anything." Richard said.

"Nothing, just had a feeling."

Hitting the beach, they startled a few ludroth's who quickly jumped back. First thinking it was a hunters trick, only to find themselves face to face with monsters no larger than them.

"What do we have here girls? A bunch of younglings who got caught up on the wrong beach?" one of the ludroth's said eagerly.

"Unless you want me to freeze you asses I would suggest you shut up." Susan growled dangerously.

"Believe me, she will freeze you ass." Richard warned.

"Big words for little monsters." another ludroth laughed.

"Big things come in small packages. We aren't looking for a fight but I'l give you one if you want it. So either help us, get out of our way, or attack already." Sparky growled.

The ludroth's backed up at the hybrids words. While they would have laughed if it were any other monster, this zinogre had an aura of menace surrounding him. Like one of the explosive barrels hunters love to use, he was a powder keg just needing the slightest spark to unleash hell.

 _Well, this is interesting. Never seen a hybrid zinogre though, let alone one with a bandanna. Then again, they all seem to have collars... Hmm... Doesn't Respite Island have pets like them?_ , Dillon thought to himself.

"Come on girls, they aren't worth it." the ludroth's backed off and slipped into the water.

"That was simple." Circus said.

"I don't think so..." Sparky said as he looked towards a the small tunnel at the end of the beach.

 _Damn, that is one perceptive zinogre. Oh well, let's hope they're as friendly as the rumors say_ , Dillon thought as he walked up.


	10. Chapter 9: Unexpected Help

Chapter 9: Unexpected Help

MESSAGE START: FISHING BOAT HAS TOUCHED DOWN AT NORTHERN DESERTED ISLAND STOP HUNTER IS ON SITE AND CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING STOP MAINTAINING DISTANCE TO AVOID CONFRONTATION STOP JERRY I AM NOT JOKING STOP IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME THAN BELIEVE THE HUNTER STOP DON'T BELIEVE HIM AND HE WILL DRAG YOU OUT HERE IF I DON'T FIRST STOP MESSAGE END

Dillon saw the monsters approach cautiously. So far, no challenging snarls or typical signs of being ready to attack. They were calculating though. They were studying him the way he was studying them. He was about to stretch out his hand to take a risk until the...monkey thing gave what must have been a panicked squeak, causing the other three to flinch backwards in panic.

"Gigginox!" Susan cried out.

"Where?! Where?!" Richard shrieked, falling rear end first into a puddle of water.

"It's the hunter!" Sparky realized.

"Giginox hunter! Run!" Circus shrieked.

 _Just what in the name of everything good in the world with bloody hell on the side is going on?!_ , Dillon thought as he kept his twitchy hands away from his swords.

"Oh hell. Would you three keep your damn heads on?" Sparky groaned.

Dillon was quick to notice the zinogre was the first to compose itself. It looked nervous around him but collected, like a child trying to keep a straight face when something is terrifying the living daylights out of them. He also noted the steely control it displayed. Whatever this odd hybrid monster had going through its head, it was on a mission of some sort.

"Hey buddy," he offered, "You're not like the big shockers are ya?"

Sparky slowly sniffed the hand and recoiled in fear due to that terror inducing smell. Former stray or not, there was a reason why everyone on Respite feared the "ice worm from hell". He had the unfortunate experience of running into one once and was found two days later in a sewer, delirious, and sitting in a mess that may or may not have come directly from running through the sludge. Cowardly or not, even the monsters with nerves of steel would say there is no shame in running away screaming from one of those things.

"Take the damn glove off. Take the damn glove off. Take the damn glove off." Sparky whimpered, not caring if he was making a fool out of himself.

 _Swords? No, it's not looking there. Helmet? Not that. Wait...my hand? But I'm not holding anything_ , Dillon was beginning to wish he could magically communicate with the monsters because this was getting absurd.

 _Don't even think about it Sparky. One bite and off with the head... Ah hell, take the damn armor off you bastard!_ , Sparky was still whining.

Dillon reluctantly took his glove off, thinking more that he had to earn trust than it being the cause of fear. The zinogre still bristled with fear but took a hesitant sniff. Next thing Dillon knew, he found his hand scratching the monster behind the ear.

"You three are stupid." Sparky said with a light laugh towards his companions while the scratching continued.

"Uh...Sparky..." Circus blurted.

"Yeah?"

"You do realize that the hunter has swords."

"So?"

"The kind that are meant to cut you into ribbons."

"Still sitting-oh that one felt good."

"And with the smell of a giginox next to you."

"Never thought I would be doing this," the hunter muttered, "You three this friendly?"

After a good five minutes of calming down, Dillon inspected the ship. He was surprised to find it clean and other than the wood being scratched, it seemed perfectly fine. He knew they had control over it and got here on their own accord (or mostly), but why? Intelligent or not, why were they all the way out here?

"Alright you four, care to explain why you're out here?" he asked the four monsters who apparently were in the middle of a conversation.

"...Now what wise guy?" Richard glares at Sparky.

"Circus, think you can write to this guy?" Sparky asked.

"I'm not using my book." Circus fumed.

"The sand stupid."

"Oh. Yeah, I can."

Dillon thought he has seen everything until the...monkey(?) began to draw in the sand. Next thing he knew, he got a full description of what was going on: Elder dragon attacked Respite, young monster disappeared, there's hell to pay. If it were a group of hunters, he would gladly help but this is different. So now what? The village would have a heart attack to see them waltzing in...and then another at the shock of what he's dealing with.

"Why couldn't this have been simple?" Dillon asks himself.

"I think we just fried his brain." Susan remarked.

"Just give him a minute." Sparky said.

"Well, never saw myself doing this. Alright look, I have no clue what a magala is to begin with nor where one would go. I can ask around town but folks there aren't likely to know either. I'll be back later. Just...keep the island floating will ya?" Dillon groaned before donning his armor and running back towards the southern side of the island.

The four monster looked at each other and began planning. Circus would start making repairs the best he could, Susan would catch more fish (something she was against and threatened to freeze the others solid about), Sparky would go inland to ask questions to the local monsters while Richard would do the same.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Richard asked.

"You have a better idea?" Sparky asked in return.

"Sparky, let's be rational for at least five minutes. We're on an island where normal ludroth are as big as us, bugs that are probably larger than our heads, and where any predator can eat us."

"We'll think it through."

"Hey guys look! Little biggies!" a jaggi nearby yelped.

"'Little biggies'? What do you mean by that?" Richard asked as more jaggis came closer.

"Get out of here you pipsqueaks!" Sparky growled, not intimidated by the slightly larger predators.

"Eh? Biggie! Big biggie! Run!" one of the jaggis warned after sniffing the air.

"Okay, just what the hell is a 'biggie'?!" Richard asked.

"Uh Richard, why do I smell me?" Sparky asked, not noticing the small splashes behind them.

"Because you haven't bathed in weeks? Really Sparky, you smell even worse than when you were in the streets."

"Not me as myself but as in a zinogre who smells like they got caught in the rain?"

"Now that you mention it, I'm noticing it also."

Both monsters suddenly felt a presence behind them. A shadow slowly passed over them and the smell reached to intensive heights. Both narcacuga and zinogre weakly turned their heads around. At first they saw a large chest with fur but as they looked up, they realized they had a very large and confused zinogre face looking at them.

"Uh... Hi?" Richard said weakly.

"What?" the zinogre blinked, causing both smaller monsters to jump.

"We're not looking for any trouble! Just wanting some help!" Sparky said quickly.

"Ragh, I knew there was something wrong about eating that liver last night," the zinogre groaned, "Now I'm seeing tiny gremlins tramping all over the place."

"No no, we're quite real and terrified for the matter. Please don't eat us." Richard squeaked.

"Uh listen, you're probably looking for lunch so how about we let you do that and we walk away." Sparky suggested as he started to walk away.

"Oh no you don't. This is too interesting." the zinogre jumped in front of the retreating pair.

Quite frankly, it was. Here were two monsters who sounded like adults but were the size of infants. Well fed, very few signs of struggle, and the fact they seemed terrified about being eaten (although that was understandable considering they were in a land of giants in comparison) was almost amusing. Not to mention, life on the island involved two main things, looking for food and avoiding the hunters, not at all something to brag about.

"Lunch can wait, stories cannot." the zinorge insisted.

Sparky saw this tactic before, once by adventuring on his own once into the wilds of Respite when he was much younger and stumbling on a lagombi. At first, he thought he would become a pile of fur and paste until the parents agreed to simply send him home after he tells a few tales of what the city is like. Now an adult and wanting to find any information possible (preferably getting the chance to use it also without having to fight his way out), he immediately began explaining.

A few minutes later, the zinogre had a puzzled look on. This other island seemed like a paradise, even if everything was smaller. But the tale was not one that came from the gossip of raths or even the ever chatty qurupeco's. There were a few whispers of the gore magala, but they were in a far off land that hardly reached these parts.

"I'm not sure if this would be of any help but there is some mention of an usual fog in the Flooded Forest. Not sure where that is but it's one place to look. Also, you may want to check someplace called The Volcano. It's in the far east where more kinds of news similar to what you're looking for come from." the zinogre suggested.

 _That surprisingly went well. Sparky, be happy that I trust you about these things because you're the only one who knows how to handle this_ , "Thanks for the help." Richard said while hiding his thoughts.

"Oh and jaggi's call anything that is bigger than them a 'biggie'." was the last they heard before the larger predator ran off.


	11. Chapter 10: Going South for the Winter

Chapter 10: Going South for the Winter

MESSAGE START: FISHING VESSEL STILL LODGED AT NORTHERN BEACH OF DESERTED ISLAND STOP CREW HAS BEEN BUSY FOR PAST THREE DAYS STOP HUNTER HAS SUPPLIED MAP AND DRIED FOOD DUE TO AGREEMENT BETWEEN PARTIES STOP STILL FINDING IT HARD TO BELIEVE STOP AT LEAST I AM WATCHING IT HAPPEN JERRY UNLIKE YOU STOP MESSAGE END

Dillon was almost upset to watch the band of misfits go. Somehow, the entire calmed down even if it got a bit more exciting. First the boat shows up, next thing that happens is that late night meetings between the monsters become almost constant. Considering such events were rare and only happen during certain parts of the year, biologists all around were going head over heels trying to figure it out. Dillon kept most of the details simple for the sake of everyone, especially Moga Village.

Regardless, this fishing boat probably is going to leave a very large wake behind it when the crew returns home. Ever since he met them the second day and learned of their destinations, he advised them to first head to the Flooded Forest, then the Volcano, and then the Sandy Plains to catch a trip to someplace called Val Harbor. He knew the lands there had more experience with these...magala's than Moga did. Now they simply needed a means of getting a sand ship across the Great Dessert and thanks to Dillon giving them a voucher, they may find themselves on track sooner than later...assuming they weren't mounted on a wall somewhere.

"Alright, just make sure you have a strong defense ready when trying to find a sand ship." Dillon helped finish the packing.

The four monsters looked at him, then each other, then simply continued working. Dillon was quite impressed on just how calm they were despite being in a dangerous world that is completely alien from their home. The zinogre especially. Sparky (assuming he read the name on the collar correctly) was not something he wanted to displease. Even if he saw no Thunderbugs, there was an entire storm inside that small body, possibly rivaling a lagiacrus. Call it superstition or hunters instinct but this hybrid zinogre could very well be the most determined and deadly thing short of an elder dragon which was scary enough even if Sparky was hunting one himself.

 _And woe to any idiot who tries to hunt this zinogre_ , he thought.

"We all set?" Sparky asked, impatient to stay any longer than necessary on the island.

"Just about. Susan, hand me that rope would ya?" Circus replied.

The work was finished quickly and Dillon helped them cast off. As he watched the small ship sail off, he had the strange sensation that he was not alone in this. Hesitantly turning around, he jumped at what he saw and fell into the water.

"That was amusing." a rathalos said with half of the islands monster population agreeing.

 _Now how am I getting home?!_ , Dillon thought as he stared at the wall of monster that blocked his way out of the beach.

Three days later and the first signs of the "Flooded Forest" showed up. The crew was not exactly looking forward to going in considering they all come form a much colder climate. Even getting down here was difficult and the humidity was nearly suffocating.

"I swear I am going to die if we stay here." Susan grumbled.

"Eh, a bit muggy but a few days I could get used to it. The rain however would drive me mad." Richard said.

"I just have to wonder what kind of bugs live in those trees. I'm not loosing this boat because a bunch of beetles decided to get hungry." Circus said.

"Really? You're concerned about the boat while we drown above water? Really?!" Susan asked.

Sparky only panted as he stared at the growing expanse of trees. Realizing they needed to navigate better, he returned to the center of the ship. As the others bickered while working, his thoughts slowly drifted away. Images of Phantom refused to go away. From dying to the monster that stole him or some other demise, the images continued to haunt him.

But the worst was the feeling of failure. He felt as if he was perhaps the worst thing in existence because he was unable to protect Phantom. Even if he had his friends comfort him, he felt the guilt of being a failed parent.

"Sparky!" Circus yelled.

"Hmm?" Sparky realized he was standing still.

"I said grab the tether line! Now unless you want to be walking wherever we go."

Meanwhile, two eyes watched the ship. They were hungry but curious. Most of the time when they saw a ship, they would show signs of anger due to another threat coming. But this time, they were interested in what the ship had. Most of the time when they saw monsters on a boat, they would flash with anger and regret.

 _What are they doing?_ , the owner of the eyes thought before moving.

The crew quickly leaned why the Flooded Forest was "flooded", because the first thing they landed in was a mud-soup lake bed after another two days. They all got off and immediately regretted it as they sunk in up to their knees.

"Well then," Richard remarked, "This is a mess."

"Qui-Quit-Achoo!" Sparky sneezed hard enough for him to jump, his fur to stick out on end despite being matted due to the rain, and everyone to get a mild jolt of electricity.

"Ack! What was that about?" Susan asked.

"So-Achoo! Sorry." Sparky apologized.

"Get him back on the boat before he fries half the place." Circus suggested.

The sneezing zinogre was only too happy to oblige. It was quickly determined that something was in the soil reacting to his sinuses, forcing him to remain on the boat. Richard and Circus, being the least affected by the current environment volunteered to look for answers.

"Just hurry before we die in this place!" Susan called as they headed out.

"Where did she get her character from anyway?" Circus asked as he and Richard left the beach.

"As far as I know, the day she was born." Richard shrugged.

"Wonder how the kids will be then."

"Yeah-Wait what?!"

"Got ya there!"

"Not funny you over grown clown."

Little did either know the pair of eyes that noticed their ship was silently following them. As they bickered, they rolled and a few snorts of amusement followed but they stalked their pray carefully. The owner knew one thing, this was going to be either amusing or obnoxious.


	12. Chapter 11: More Scares, More Oddities

Chapter 11: More Scares, More Oddities

MESSAGE START: FISHING VESSEL HAS GONE INTO FLOODED FOREST STOP UNABLE TO EFFECTIVELY TRACK SPLINTER GROUP STOP WILL REMAIN AT CURRENT POSITION AND RESUME FOLLOWING AT LATER TIME STOP JERRY I WILL DROP YOU NEXT TO AN ELDER DRAGON IF YOU KEEP INSULTING ME MESSAGE END

"I hate this place." Circus grumbled as he fell face first into another hidden mud pit.

"What's next? We run into something hungry for small monsters?" Richard agreed.

So far, the driest place was just on the edge of a waterfall and that was only because the ground was made out of rocks, not dirt. Both agreed the flooded ground that was steadily feeding the waterfall was probably too dangerous to search so that left small canyon across from the opening they originally came from. The thick undergrowth seemed to show stable ground, but all they found was hidden mud pits and biting insects. They haven't found anyone or anything to talk to yet but they felt...like they were being watched. Even so, their frustration on the environment was proving to be the bigger concern as they became more and more ragged.

"Wonder if this is how Sparky used to feel." Richard groaned as he slugged through the vegetation and muck.

 _Do they ever shut up? I've seen and heard deviljhos that are quieter than them_ , the eyes that were stalking them thought.

The eyes were becoming bored with the complaining and the thought just killing off the annoyance and potential competition to be done with it. But that would leave the question on why they were here (let alone why they were what they were) unanswered. Besides, once the questions were answered, the nuisance could simply-

"About time I found someplace!" a loud voice above yelled in annoyance.

"What was that?" both Richard and Circus asked at the same time.

"Alright! I know someone lives here but I don't give a damn! Come out and fight me you coward!" the voice screeched.

 _Oh hell now what?,_ the eyes rolled.

No one had to wait long as an angry barrage of golden scales sliced through the vegetation. The smaller monsters hid the best they could while the eyes flashed furiously before the body behind them leaped out. What the smaller monsters were greeted to was a hissing contest between a seregios and a lucent nargacuga. What terrified them more was the fact that the seregios spotted them and let out an earsplitting roar.

"More challengers! I will defeat you all!" it cried.

"Nope. Nope! Nope! We are gone! Let's get the hell out of here!" Circus cried before bolting with Richard stumbling behind.

The lucent nargacuga only spared a snort in boredom while the seregios screeched in surprise. Very few things have fled from a fight over territory and those two looked like they were far worse than messing their pelts in terror. Still, less things to fight now.

"And there goes my chance to understanding them." the lucent nargacuga growled.

"Pathetic! You would rather reason with them?! I should kill you instead of driving you off!" the seregios roared.

"The last one to say that had to pull insects out of their teeth. Leave this place."

"Ha! You will learn to fear the name of Steve!"

"Steve? Steve?!" the lucent nargacuga tried to hold a serious growl but ended up laughing hard enough to stop breathing.

The seregios rolled his eyes. Why did everyone laugh at his title? Is it not a name that instills great terror into foes? All other seregi cower in fear and yet nothing else does. Stupid lower beings.

"Are you finished?" Steve questioned.

"I've (heh heh heh) heard a lot but never have I heard someone blatantly yell that." the lucent nargacuga coughed between laughs.

"Perhaps I should just kill you now and be done with it."

The lucent nargacuga could only giggle as it turned around to leave. This angered Steve even more. As a seregios, he was territorial but he had honor...somewhat. Just taking territory over without a fight or at least scaring any potential threats away was frowned upon by his kind so to have his foe walk away was worse than being forced to surrender. At least surrendering (or dying) after a fight was seen as honorable.

"Get back here!" he roared.

"I have a mystery to figure out. Enjoy my grooming area though. I think the waterfront is better anyway." was all he got, much to his chagrin.

Meanwhile, Circus and Richard quite honestly were running blind. They didn't care much about being cowardly, just so long as they got away from the canyon. It wasn't until they found themselves panting in a large stone plateau that they stopped. They didn't care that they were scratched, their fur frayed, or the fact they were filthy (from the environment and having a new stench that belonged in a sewer). The only thing they cared about was getting away from the terrifying creature that came out of nowhere.

"Think...we lost...it?" Circus asked.

"I hope." Richard panted as he collapsed.

"You did." a third voice growled.

Both small monsters left a stain on the ground as they jumped before colliding into each other. Standing on the other end of the plateau was the lucent nargacuga from earlier, still giggiling and having an even more absurd smile on its face from the scene in front of it.

"I want to live!" Circus yelped.

"Don't worry, I'm in far too good of a mood to do much. So tell me, little oafs, why are you here?" the lucent nargacuga asked.

"We're looking for clues!" Richard said too fast.

"What?" the lucent nargacuga asked again, still smiling and more curious than annoyed at this point.

The rain finally stopped around sundown. Sparky had his head on his paws while he waited. Susan tried to comfort him but the hybrid barely moved. Earlier, he was anxious to explore. Now, he was trapped and upset. Susan knew what was behind the fierce, aggressive, and determined shell that he displayed for most of the time since this trip because she was looking at it. Sparky was a sad, broken monster that felt like he shouldn't be alive. Phantom may have been family to everyone but he changed Sparky. Hopefully, Phantom would be found alive and well, for everyone's sake.

"We'll find him Sparky." she said.

"How can I just sit here and do nothing?" he sighed again.

"You haven't done nothing. You've led us this far and you will lead him back home."

Sparky simply stared across the deck. He was unable to leave and unable search for his son. Son... He never saw himself as a father figure, let alone a father until Phantom hatched. Different species or not, that little bundle of mischief and love was his son.

"Sparky look! They're back!" Susan cried out.

Sparky jumped up to his feet and rushed to the edge. Circus and Richard looked worse than he did whenever he came out of the alleys and quite spooked.

"What happened?! Did you find anything?!" he practically yelled.

Both Circus and Richard looked at each other before yelling: "The "Frenzy" was months old!"

"The hell happened to you two?" Susan asked, which she regretted seconds later as both explorers began yelling at her.

The lucent nargacuga watched with amusement as the ship sailed back out the following day. Steve left overnight. Somehow, the lucent nargacuga figured he would be causing more trouble for the odd crew who were still at each others necks. However, it felt sorry for the one called Sparky. It wasn't fond of zinogres but to have one's family stolen? What a terrible thing! If it were possible, the lucent nargacuga would have joined and brought righteous fury on the evil being that did the deed. But there was nothing it could do other than help point them in the right direction.

Oh well, fewer mysteries to think about and one less obnoxious seregios to worry about. Besides, maybe it was time to start a family after finally. There was that green nargacuga who was living relatively nearby...


	13. Chapter 12: The Dragon Fiasco

Chapter 12: The Dragon Fiasco

MESSAGE START: FISHING BOAT EN ROUTE TO THE VOLCANO STOP CREW SEEMS DIVIDED AFTER EXITING FLOODED FOREST STOP POSSIBLE CHANCE OF HEADING COULD BE SANDY PLAINS DUE TO PROGRESSION WEST STOP WILL HOLD BACK UNTIL VOLCANO IS SIGNIFICANT DISTANCE AWAY STOP I AIN'T GETTING NEAR THAT MOUNTAIN STOP NO WAY IN HELL WITH THOSE NIGHTMARES DECLARING OPEN SEASON AND CLOSING THE HUNTING GROUNDS STOP JERRY IF YOU COMPLAIN I WILL LEAVE YOU TO DEAL WITH THEM USING A BUTTER KNIFE MESSAGE END

Circus and Richard gave Sparky and Susan a hard glare. Well, more to Sparky in Richard's case. The Flooded Forest was terrible and the ones who had to trek through it made it very clear that they were not going to let this mishap slide anytime soon. If it weren't for Sparky's determination to find Phantom, he probably would have cowered in fear to the heated glances.

"I said sorry." Sparky sighed, still feeling his fur being singed by the glares.

"Sorry doesn't cover all the stress we had to go through." Circus growled.

"Can we just keep going? Please? I'll freeze the both of you if you keep pestering us." Susan groaned.

"Wait a minute..." Sparky realized something in the air and started sniffing.

"Now what?" Richard asked.

"Uh Circus? Any idea on how to handle a storm?"

"Yeah. Why?" Circus asked.

"Because there's one coming right for us. A big one."

"And you know this how exactly?" Susan asked.

"Two things. One the breeze smells like fresh water. Two... Well, there is a lot of energy that is building up."

Everyone looked at him like he lost his mind.

"What? I'm a zinogre for crying out loud. I know lightning when it's nearby." Sparky exclaimed.

"How long?" Circus sighed.

"Day or two. Three at the most if we're lucky." was the answer.

The next day:

"I thought you said three days!" Susan yelled.

"I said if we're lucky!" Sparky snapped back before another wave hit the boat.

The storm was a fierce one. So far, lightning and rain came down from above constantly with the sea rolling about. They were battling against it, but they weren't normal monsters or exactly the best kind of crew to be sailing. Still, being hell bent on their objective they pressed on.

"Ugh! I'm going to be sick." Richard groaned, turning an interesting color of orange of all things.

"Just get it over with and be quick! We need to find land or else we're dead!" Circus ordered.

"Where in the hell are we going to find land?!" Susan asked.

"Do I look like a compass?! Anywhere!" was the last thing anyone said before the hull cracked.

"What was that?!" the others asked Circus.

"Hull breach! I'll try to buy us time but if we can't find land we're swimming!" Circus yelled.

 _Well hell_ , Sparky thought.

"There! On the left! I think I see a fire!" Richard called out.

"Fire means land most of the time. Sparky-!"

"On it!" the hybrid didn't bother to wait and got busy steering.

It was difficult. Half the time the sea wanted to send them off course, the other the wind wanted them to capsize. Somehow, the made it to the shore...which was right next to a lava flow.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Too close! Get us away from that!" Richard yelled.

"Trying!" Sparky snarled through the rudder.

They managed to beach the ship. It was only after they hit the rocky sand that they realized what the "fire" was. It was a mountain that spewed sulfur and molten rocks, that had a power of fear and awe, that could destroy yet create. They were at the next stop of their search, the Volcano.

"Bloody hell... Either we landed in Hell or someplace worse than it." Richard gasped.

"That doesn't make any sense." Susan commented.

"Stop gawking and get this ship onto the shore! Quickly!" Circus cried out as the sea tried to pull the ship back.

After a few moments of hard pulling and digging trenches in sharp, coarse volcanic sand, they managed to keep their only means of transportation from being lost. Unfortunately, the weather grew worse and forced them to find shelter. It would continue until late afternoon.

"That was one crazy storm." Richard said.

"Yes," Circus agreed, "And now we need to fix the hull if we're going to go anywhere."

"Think this place has anything?" Sparky asked.

"It has the heat to melt me. That's for sure." Susan panted.

"Well...we might find some relief if we travel away from that monster. Question is, does someone stay here or do we all go and check in the morning?" Sparky asked.

"As much as I'd rather not abandon the ship entirely, it's probably the best to get some rest someplace safe." Circus said reluctantly.

Before anyone could so much move, an angry roar was heard, nearly causing an earthquake. Considering the Volcano was already unstable, this unnerved them. It only got worse when what appeared to be an explosion blew part of the top off.

"What is going on in there?" Susan asked in fear.

"One way to find out." Sparky said.

"Ah no. We aren't going in there." Circus snapped.

"I never said you were." Sparky replied as he went in.

"And just why are you going in there?" Susan asked.

"You want the thing to blow? Besides, I'm not sweating as much as you guys are!"

Steve was absolutely livid. First the storm threw him off course, he finds a hellhole to land at with almost no food worth mentioning, and now he's facing an elder dragon. Prideful as ever, he was currently throwing caution to the wind even if it was insanity to have a hissing contest with an alatreon, let alone a fight with one.

"This place is mine now!" he roared.

"And I'm telling you to get lost! Now leave before I have a late lunch!" the alatreon roared back.

Steve was about to retaliate until he smelled something familiar. Turning his gaze just enough to look, he saw a panting zinogre above. But why did it smell familiar?

Sparky was beginning to wonder why he was exploring a volatile and explosive environment to find a monster that was likely to make things much worse. So far, the few predators he's seen all have ran tail from the upper interior and even told him to flee. Nevertheless, he wanted answers to his search and why the time bomb of this place was about to detonated early. Stupid? Probably. But he was not entirely thinking clearly, not since this hair brained idea of an adventure formed in the first place.

 _Maybe the heat is starting to get to me_ , he thought.

"Oi! What is going on out-?! Oh! Never mind!" an agnaktor broke through a wall nearby and quickly retreated after seeing the occupants down below arguing, unknowingly startling the hybrid close by.

"Wha-! Oh hell!" Sparky yelped as he began to tumble down into the cave below.

The alatreon was not having a good day. First the storm scared everything into small caverns that were difficult to get into, then an idiot comes and has the audacity to demand territory, now there's monsters screaming at the top of their lungs as they fell from above. What's next? Another alatreon coming in to laugh?

"Ow..." the zinogre that fell from above groaned once it finally stopped rolling.

"Wait...you just like those weaklings!" the seregios (why is the name Steve supposed to be threatening anyway?) snarled.

The alatreon was growing quite tired of the seregios. Also, why was this zinogre so small...and smelled like a bunch of other monsters? Oh well, it probably will make a good snack.

"Which one of you five-agh! Gah! My leg!" Sparky yelped as it tried to stand up.

Sparky knew he was in trouble. A mild concussion, twisted paw and knee, and possibly a dislocated tailbone amount of trouble to be exact. That and an angry...whatever it is with something that was possibly looking at him like he was a meal. He knew he was going to have to prove himself if he wanted to survive. With a sharp growl in pain, he felt a built up pressure inside loosen slightly.

"I've already claimed him for myself! You won't stop me!" Steve screeched in the background.

"Oh don't make me laugh. You're the next course." the alatreon commented.

Sparky used these words to make him angry and the pressure became almost unbearable to hold. With a loud howl, electric and dragon energy shot out. It was so loud and so powerful, even the elder dragon had to stop talking to look with interest (and considering just how powerful an alatreon is, this is saying much).

"I did not come this far to fail! Now get the hell out of my way or I will fry you!" Sparky''s voice was distorted by the amount of energy he was generating.

"I'm impressed." the alatreon simply stated.

"Bah! Just a fancy-!" Steve began to attack before he felt the wrath of the angry zinogre.

"I said...get the bloody hell out of my way you bastard!" the distorted howl echoed throughout the Volcano, terrifying the monsters that hid from the alatreon's hunting.

"Merlin! Are you crazy?! It's bad enough that you're volatile as is but to unleash that much energy at once is asking for trouble!" another alatreon screamed.

"Hey, I only caused a small tremor the last time." the first, Merlin, stated.

"Than who-" the second was about to continue yelling until noticing Sparky.

Merlin gave a blank look at the new alateon who just gave a questioning look at him. Steve, angry at the shocks and lack of attention tried to get the two elder dragons to challenge him. That only got him a swift tail swipe that sent him flying down a chasm with a surprised squawk.

"Now then," the second stated, "Mind explaining what this is all about?"

"Well the idiot you sent flying came in here demanding to take over, I disagreed, and then it's raining...explosives due to an agnaktor deciding to find out what's going on." Merlin surmised.

"Gah! There's that headache again." Sparky muttered to himself once he calmed down and the pain returned.

The other alatreon was unimpressed by the story but found the hybrid to be an interesting matter. While it was small (barely a mouthful), it seemingly had enough elemental energy to rival an elder dragon. Most peculiar...especially when normal sized zinogres had only a fraction of the power without the thunderbugs of a bolt of lightning. Perhaps an experiment those pesky humans somehow made? It has objects that they typically make.

"Tell me...why would something such as yourself come here?" the alatreon questioned the pained zinogre.

"To make sure this place doesn't explode." Sparky groaned before walking face first into a wall.

That's it? This explosive mouthful risked its life just to make sure the Volcano doesn't explode?!

"Well...there's been odder things around here. Still not sure what was up with that...what was that thing a few months ago?" Merlin asked.

"The shagaru magala? Ugh, thing still gives my kids nightmares. That screech kept them in the nest for a week. And the humans call us monsters. What a joke. At least we don't go after them unless they ask for it." the alatreon groaned.

Sparky heard just enough to get an idea before the pain knocked him out. When he came to, he found himself outside of the Volcano with a familiar nargacuga grumbling about cooking.

"Why does it keep burning?!" Richard all but yelled.

"I could do it you know." Circus said.

"Like you handled the mushrooms?"

"Hey! How was I supposed to know those were dragon toadstools?"

"You're both bad cooks." Sparky groaned.

"Nobody asked you Sparky." Richard snapped as he threw another burnt fish off to the side.

Both bickering monsters stopped what they were doing and stared at Sparky who was groaning as he began to stand up.

"Susan! Get over here!" Richard yelled.

"What's wrong?" a soot covered barioth rushes from a rocky ledge.

"What in the world happened to you?" Circus asked.

"Eh...Merlin happened." Susan answered.

"First get some ice ready because Sparky is up. Second what did he do this time?" Richard asked.

"He's allergic to pollen." was the bland reply.

"How did I get here and what did I miss?" Sparky asked as an improvised ice block was placed on his head.

"Well...ship's fixed and we have a better lead. We might also have another companion out in the wilds." Circus answered.

"Wait...Merlin...is he an-"

"An alatreon? Yes. For a living natural disaster they are actually quite cautious." Susan answered.

The next few minutes of explaining would have made every elder dragon scientist become overjoyed about learning the biggest mysteries behind one of the most elusive monsters in the world. Merlin, being an adolescent by alatreon standards, needed to prove himself. Considering how alatreons value youth and were appalled by the fact Phantom was taken, Merlin was sent to help and figure out more about the outside world (considering very few alatreons actually leave the Volcano region).

"So...where is he now?" Sparky asked after taking it all in.

"Said he was scouting ahead. Never said how far ahead though. If anything, he just left." Susan answered.

Dundorma was well known for holding out against elder dragons. But an alatreon has never been here before. What was more surprising was the fact that it stumbled into the city and looking at the mountain as if trying to get its bearings. Now it was growling to itself and terrifying the guards who were sure it would destroy everything if it got out.

"Idiot! First you get lost then you get captured. You stupid, idiotic, fool!" Merlin scolded himself with the occasional flare of dragon element sparking.


	14. Chapter 13: No Safe Harbors

Chapter 13: No Safe Harbors

MESSAGE START: NO FURTHER SIGHTINGS OF ALATREON ACTIVITY STOP FISHING VESSEL EN ROUTE TO SANDY PLAINS TWO DAYS AFTER THE ALATREON HAS LEFT THE VOLCANO STOP RESUMING PURSUIT OF VESSEL STOP REQUESTING RESTOCK ON SUPPLIES DUE TO EXTENDED OBSERVATION STOP JERRY I AM GETTING TIRED OF YOUR STUPIDITY STOP IF YOU ARE SO CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON THEN YOU BEST ASK THEM YOURSELF STOP MESSAGE END

Leaving the sweltering steam bath behind them, the crew began to head towards the very edge of the region where they would expect a dry heat instead. Susan managed to keep her complaints to herself but everyone was not looking forward to miles of sand. Still, it was either grab a sandship or sail around a continent which would get them nowhere anytime soon.

"Can't be worse than inside that fire cracker though." Sparky said as he stared at the fading red glow behind them.

"Well...considering how we didn't go in there we'll have to take your word for that." Circus said.

"Yeah well, I still have a headache."

"At least your tail is in proper order. Just be glad you were asleep when we fixed that." Richard stated.

"Can we not talk about that? I fell of a cliff and still feel like a mess." Sparky groaned.

"Your fault for going in there." Richard chortled.

Continuing along the journey, nothing happened other than an angry sharq that decided to attack them. After being thoroughly fried and partial frozen, they found themselves with an exotic meal for the rest of the trip.

"Told ya it's good." Circus said before finishing off his portion of the meal.

"A lot better than constant sushifish. When we get home I'm eating berries for a week." Susan agreed.

"Why berries?" Richard questioned.

"Because they aren't fish." was the bland answer.

"I suppose there's going to be a shortage of nulberries then." Sparky smirked.

"Very funny." Susan groaned.

"Well fish or not, sand ahoy!" Richard called out.

"What?" Circus questioned.

"There's a bloody desert right ahead of us."

"How far out then?"

"At our speed? Give or take a few hours?"

That got everyone ready. Readying themselves, they carefully navigated the ship towards a beach and made landfall. Unfortunately, they attracted attention.

"Well, well, well. Tiny monsters in control of a boat. Any idea how much we can make off of that?" a hunter asked.

"Probably not a lot," another commented, "But maybe if we get a biologist interested..."

"Good plan. They always are nuts about something."

"How about the boat? Maybe there's something going on there?"

"Even better. We find out where it came from, report it in, and get a promotion. And a bunch of little critters sent to Val Harbor as a bonus due to them always wanting exotic captures."

On the beach:

"Did anyone grab a broom for this? Because it's going to take forever to clear this dust bowl out." Richard commented.

"Yeah no kidding. Look at this place." Sparky agreed.

For the monsters, seeing a giant expanse of dessert and scrub plains was shocking. So much empty space... Not even the ocean felt this strange. An ocean at least has the feeling of majesty to it. This...this was empty and barren...and yet not. The closest thing any of them could relate to would be the ice caps at the northern tip of Respite Island and there was always a howling wind there with a zamite scurrying about.

"I'm just glad it's not as hot as hell out here." Susan commented.

"I second that," Sparky agreed, "I've had enough heat for a lifetime."

"Well then, let's get a few bags ready. Sun is setting and we'd best make use of the cool weather while we can." Circus stated.

"You might want to rethink your priorities." a voice said out of nowhere.

All four instantly tensed up. There were several places for someone or something to hide here. They knew that nowhere was truly devoid of hiding spots in the wild and that they were wide out in the open.

"We're not here to fight." Sparky called out.

"I know. But unless you enjoy being in chains, I suggest you move now." the voice warned.

"Why? What aren't you telling us?" Richard growled nervously.

They didn't have any time to receive an answer nor ask anything else as a flash bomb blew up. Blinded, they began yelping in confusion and fear. A few seconds after that, they felt something hit them which knocked them out.

"Huh. That was too easy." one of the hunters commented, loading another clip of tranquilizer shots into a bowgun.

"Yeah...kinda wanted a bit of a fight. Oh well, easy pickings this time." the other commented.

"Of course it's you two!" an enraged sand barioth roared.

"Ack! What is that doing here?!" the gunner exclaimed.

"Doesn't matter! Lay down some fire!" the other yelled.

"Why did we take this job in the first place again?!" the gunner popped the clip and loaded standard rounds.

"Because it pays!"

The sand barioth attempted to put up a fight, but the hunters were too good. In the end, it was captured rather quickly.

"Odd. Wonder what gives with this fellow going down quickly." the gunner commented.

"Well we did chase it around for half a week. Besides, chances are the heat got to it. It gets to everything eventually." the other mentioned.

"True."

"Well, time to get to work. You want the boat or shall I do it?"

"I don't care. Just so long as we get paid."

Hours later, Sparky groaned as dusty air assaulted his noise. His eyes were unfocused by he knew that something was different. There was a wooden floor beneath him instead of sand and the heat felt more...confined wherever he was.

 _What happened?_ , he wondered.

"I don't want to eat mushrooms." Circus muttered off to the side.

Clearing his head, Sparky realized he was in a cage. Large enough to move freely, small enough to make him feel claustrophobic. The wooden floor also led to a wooden wall and it felt like they were moving.

"Cages, boxes, moving floor...oh come on!" he growled before slamming the cage with his tail.

"Ack! What's going on?" someone exclaimed behind a few crates.

"Susan?! That you?!" Sparky called.

"Yes and shut up before I freeze you."

"You'll be hard pressed to do that I'm afraid. We're in boxes." Richard replied.

"What do we look like? Monsters?" Circus exclaimed, not fully coherent.

"You don't want an answer." Sparky sighed.

"We're all together in this now. I tried to warn you but I should have known they were close by." a fifth voice sighed.

"Who was that?" Susan asked.

"Not me!" her companions called.

"That would be me, although you can't see me." the mystery voice said.

"Alright then. So who and what are you?" Sparky asked.

"Don't have a name but I'm a sand barioth."

"Guess that explains why we weren't able to find you then." Circus said.

They all sat in silence. Besides someone coming down to check on them and give food and water, there wasn't anything to do.

"So any idea how long we were out?" Richard blurted randomly.

"No." came collective sigh.

"Hold on. I smell cooking." Circus called.

"Must be the crew." Sparky said.

"It's not. Believe me, I know the differences in cooking fresh food and preserved food. This is fresh. We're going to dock soon."

"And you know this how?" the sand barioth asked.

"I have a big nose, I'm close to the trapdoor leading to the deck, there's a hole in the hull, and there's excitement above us."

Sure enough, the sounds of commotion were quickly heard as the ship slowed down. After an hour of waiting the cages they were in were pulled out of the ship and placed in a tent. It didn't take long for a guild official to inspect the handiwork of two particular hunters.

"One captured sand barioth and four...exotic captures. Did you idiots even check them?" the guild official asked.

"Uh...What?" the gunner of the two hunters asked.

"They have collars and the pamphlet you showed me was a voucher for them." the official nearly growled.

"We're dead meat." the other gulped.

"Damn straight you are. Nelson, get those cages open and tell the nearest kitchen to prepare something."

"Yes sir!" a felyne responded.

"Do we at least get paid for completing our original assignment?" the gunner asked.

"Yes! Now get the hell out of my sight! Bloody hell, I need a drink." the official groaned once the hunters ran off.

 _This isn't going to end well_ , Sparky thought as he carefully walked out of his cage.

"So why are you bringing these-Help! Monsters on the loose!" someone yelled.

"No. No, no, no, no! Everyone calm down! Calm down! Hey! Put that down!" the guild official tried to control the situation.

"Let's get out of here!" Sparky yelped.

The four monsters fled out of the tent and into a sprawling market place. Nearly all eyes turned towards them and next thing they knew every hunter within eyesight was rushing towards them. Barely a few minutes into Val Harbor and everything is once again against them.

"Maybe I should just stay here. Can't be any worse than what they're dealing with." the sand barioth muttered to the noise outside.

"I really need a drink. I guess something went right though," the official said with a defeated sigh, "Let's hope if that plan will work."

A few months later there has been a successful addition of sand barioths to the outlying desert regions. Overpopulation problems for several monsters were remedied and the new biodiversity gave way to a metaphorical golden age for the desert.


	15. Chapter 14: New Issues

Chapter 14: New Issues

MESSAGE START: CREW TAKEN CAPTIVE STOP CURRENT HEADING IS VAL HARBOR STOP WILL MAINTAIN DISTANCE ONCE CREW FOUND STOP I WON THE BET JERRY STOP YOU BETTER PAY UP WHEN I GET HOME OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY TENFOLD STOP MESSAGE END

To say being chased around a market place with possibly bloodthirsty killers is stressful would a bit of an understatement. The crew either getting two kinds of unwanted attention, the hunters who wanted their heads and the store owners who yelped in fear.

"I hate this place!" Susan panted.

"Less yelling more running!" Sparky snapped.

"There! On the right! Let's get out of here!" Richard spotted the exit into the wilds.

After escaping the mob behind them and panting heavily, they found themselves staring across vast open scrub lands, towering mountains, and an expansive forest.

"Think...we...lost them?" Circus panted.

"Not likely. They probably know this place better than we do." Richard said.

"They'll be coming after us eventually. Any ideas?" Sparky asked.

"You've been leading us this far. Might as well keep going." Circus said.

The most enticing choice would be to head straight for the mountains or the forest. But that seemed the most obvious and the hunters would exploit that. So how to hide from them?

 _If I were trying to hide something, what would be the least likely place to do so?_ , Sparky thought to himself.

Thick cover was tempting but obvious. Straight paths? Would leave too much of a trail. Hidden paths? Living in Respite made them more likely to find hidden treats in cupboards than the wild. Wide open expanses? No cover and would be seen immediately. Perfect!

"We're taking the scenic route. Susan, you may freeze me when we're safe." Sparky headed straight for the scrub lands.

"Why in the hell are we going out in the open?!" Susan shrieked.

"You have a dumber idea?" Sparky asked, not bothering to stop or look back.

"We could go back if you're looking for stupidity." Richard sighed.

Realizing Sparky wasn't going to stop, the other three monsters groaned before reluctantly following the hybrid. The heat quickly took a toll on them and forced a brief stop once they were in the shadows of the mountains. After grabbing a few laps of water from the small waterfall nearby, they began to go deeper into the mountains while sticking to the shadows in order to avoid the heat and any potential hunters.

"I'm going to die." Susan panted.

"He did say you can freeze him when we're safe." Richard whispered.

"I'm going to. If he ever has kids, their own will be shivering when I'm through with him."

"Does that include Phantom?"

"You know what I mean."

"Speaking of the subject, you think we can have some once this madness is over?"

"Maybe..."

"Does anyone else smell that?" Circus asked suddenly.

"Smell what?" Richard asked.

"I smell something cooking. And fur...lots of fur."

"Forget the fur," Sparky stopped as they rounded a bend, "There's a lake here with gargwa."

The lake was shallow, barely deep enough to go up to someones shins (or in the case of the miniature monsters, their knees) and the flightless birds were oblivious to them. The early evening sun cast long shadows over the scene and gave the lake a light orange glow to it.

"Well we can at least eat tonight." Sparky said as he started walking towards the gargwa.

"Wait. You're not going to kill them are you?" Richard asked.

"We've been eating fresh fish for some time now so why does a bunch of idiotic birds bother you? And the answer is no."

"Fish are stupid in their own right. Gargwa at least can be tamed." Richard said after a moment of stumped gibberish.

"So what are you going to do?" Circus asked.

"Get eggs." Sparky answered.

"And how do you plan on getting those?" Susan demanded.

"You'll see."

All Sparky had to do was run up barking and the birds quickly left. The only signs of them even being there were the feathers and the newly produced eggs laying where the birds placed them. The three monsters could only stare with wide eyes as the hybrid gave a smug look.

"Dinner is served." Sparky said.

"So...we cooking those?" Circus asked.

"Cook? Have any of you eaten raw eggs before? Not even try to taste them?"

"Uh...no?" Richard half answered.

"Not all of us scrounged off the streets for a half rotten meal. Also, now that I remember something," Susan growled before covering Sparky in a thin sheet of ice, "That's for dragging us through hell."

"Gah! That's cold! Cold!" Sparky yelped as he broke out of the ice and began jumping about in a vain attempt to warm up.

"Nya! What do we have here?" a voice broke all of their attention (other than Sparky still jumping).

A group of felynes armed with crude weapons and armor were standing on the other side of the lake. They no doubt heard commotion of one kind or another and were probably not as friendly as the ones back home.

"Looks like a bunch of meownsters decided to stop on our front door." one of the felynes commented.

"Clearly, nya." another agreed.

"Anyone else thinking it's time to leave?" Circus asked.

"Never saw any this small befur. Think they're kittens?"

"They have collars. Purrhaps we return them to Val Habour?"

"I'm starting to agree with your thinking Circus." Susan said.

"Enough. Night apurrches and threats will follow. They are too small to cause much harm so we will keep them alive fur now. The chief will decide their fates." one felyne decided.

Once Sparky was restrained from jumping, all four were herded into a hidden village. Those who were working ceased their activities and looked at the unusual monsters. It was clear that they were surrounded, trapped, and too exhausted to fight.

 _Well Sparky, you truly had a stupid idea_ , Sparky mentally yelled at himself while the other monsters glared at him.

From one captivity to another, their lives were uncertain. Far from home, having lost their means of communicating, and having run into a dead end in his search, Sparky felt defeated.


	16. Chapter 15: More Searching, New Faces

Chapter 15: More Searching, New Faces

MESSAGE START: CREW LOST SOMEWHERE ON ANCESTRAL STEPPE STOP LOCAL SOURCES CLAIM BRIEF PANIC BUT NO DAMAGE DONE OTHER THAN HUNTERS TRAMPLING A FEW STALLS IN MAD CHASE STOP LOCAL OFFICIAL HAS GIVEN FULL ACCESS TO REGION TO CONTINUE SEARCH AND IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON EASING TENSIONS STOP HEARD RUMORS OF ALATREON HELD UP IN REGION CAPITAL STOP NO JERRY I AM NOT BUYING YOU ANYTHING SO SHUT UP STOP MESSAGE END

To go from trapped in a cage to being trapped in a small cave filled with anxious felynes is not something the monsters ever thought they would deal with. At the worst, Susan and Richard dealt with was the occasional discipline when they were younger, Circus was beached for a week after setting a fishing boat sail on fire, and Sparky being forced to find a new home after being kicked out of a wooden box by a rival zinogre. Now, not only did life seem to enjoy making them miserable, but they were very likely to be killed by a bunch of felynes that were taller than them!

"We're dead. We're dead, we're dead, we are dead." Circus muttered.

"Not helping Circus." Susan growled.

"Well we are!" Circus exclaimed.

"Still breathing and standing so no we're not." Richard remarked.

 _Why did they insist on coming? Now I've lead them to their deaths_ , Sparky scolded himself.

"When you said you brought meonsters, I wasn't expecting nervous kittens." an aged felyne muttered.

"Kittens?! There's only two felynes in our group. Glad I'm not one of them." Circus exclaimed.

"Hey!" both Susan and Richard remarked.

The villagers watched the monsters carefully. They were half disappointed in what they saw and even went so far as to make snide remarks about the fidgety monsters. Even the chieftain was amused by them. But why was the zinogre the only one that looked...calm? Instead of anxious it looked defeated and depressed which was unusual to begin with for any monster. Then there was the fact they were property to hunters and they were far too tame to be the wild dangers that monsters were (in)famous for.

"Where were they found?" the chieftain asked quietly.

"Nya, right on the lake. Scared the birds to get food and then one of them froze the zinogre." one of the felynes answered.

More curiosities. Just how smart are they? If anything, they look more like a group of apprentice hunters who can't tell one end of a blade from another. The issue now though was to figure out what to do with them.

"Purhaps there is something else here. Let them live fur now and we'll settle this in the morning." the chieftain ordered.

"Nya?!" the felyne exclaimed.

"They haven't caused issues yet. We'll know the truth when we have time for it."

The monsters were placed under a watch but given the eggs they were going to eat. After a mild debate on how to eat the meal and light laughter from the guards, they settled down for the night. Well, three did anyway. Sparky glanced at the guards warily who gave him a sleepy glare in return. He was trying to think of a way to escape and get back to searching but it was clear there wouldn't be any chances tonight. If they were lucky, maybe they can convey their intentions to the village somehow.

"Wonder what's keeping you up." he heard a voice.

Turning his head, he noticed a red furred felyne staring at him in the shadows. He gave a tired glare which got a humorless laugh in return.

"Funny, never would have thought I would see the look of hopelessness in the eyes of a monster. Guess that saying was true after all." the felyne muttered.

"Will you shut up?" Sparky groaned.

"So what is it? Lost, owner died, maybe tired of life making you miserable?" the felyne pressed on.

 _Does she ever shut up?_

"Wait a minute...now I remember why you look familiar. You're from Respite."

Sparky's head immediately turned as if it were on a well oiled swivel. If this felyne knew where he was from-

"Figured as much. So now that I figured out where you and your friend are from, why are you here? Last time I saw you you were looking for fish."

"Damn it." there went that chance.

"Just get some sleep and I'll see if I can get you out of this mess. The name's Helen by the way."

Sparky sighed before nodding. He can't communicate with her as is and being tired wouldn't help. Unable to bring himself towards his friends, he slept off to the side and far from the small fire that was burning.

Helen studied the zinogre. From a long forgotten conversation, she recalled that he was nothing more than a scavenger...at least at the time. The collar and bandanna certainly showed that things have changed for the zinogre but then why was he leading this group out here? Respite was in a different region altogether. Well, tomorrow will sort itself out and maybe she can join in on this little fiasco wherever it's going.

The next day set the village ablaze with curiosity. Helen managed to sneak in a brief talk with the chief before the questioning but the fate of the monsters was still up for debate.

"Any idea on how we're getting the hell out of here yet?" Richard asked Sparky.

"No." Sparky said as evenly as he could.

"It's come to my attention that you're a mystery and far from home. So what are you doing here?" the chieftain asked only seconds later.

"Circus find a way to tell him." Sparky said quietly.

"Why me?!" Circus exclaimed.

"Because you're the only one who can. Now do it before we end up as rugs!"

After a few futile attempts at scratching the ground, the chieftain ordered an unused crate be filled with dirt to be use after realizing the what Circus was aiming to do. Circus then spent a few moments to simply write that the party was "looking for someone".

"Who are you looking for?" the chieftain asked.

"Tell him it's difficult to explain." Sparky said.

"Bloody hell you idiots! Just get to the point!" Helen interrupted, startling the monsters and the chieftain.

"Sparky?" Circus questioned.

"Might as well." was the response.

After ten minutes of questioning and answering, the monsters finally were able to breath easy. They did hide the fact they were searching for a gore magala but other than that they said everything, including the interaction with Merlin.

"Well, this is interesting." the chieftain remarked.

"Why is my line of work always surprising me?" Helen muttered.

"Regardless, I know of a few who can help. But to get to them requires going through the Everwood."

"That doesn't sound good." Susan said.

"Can't be any hotter than the bloody desert." Richard said in response.

"I know my way through. Besides, I've been waiting for a reason to go in there anyway." Helen mentioned.

"Hmm. Well I can give you some supplies and a means of avoiding trouble from other villages. But you'll be on your own." the chieftain said.

"Fair enough," Helen turned her gaze to the monsters, "Well, want the help or are you going to go alone?"

By evening the party of five left the village with Helen leading the monsters. She had surprisingly sturdy rathalos armor and was armed with a brachy wallop, making her a reasonable force to deal with if she were to be in the wilds alone. As they walked towards the Everwood, they got curious looks from other monsters. Predator and prey alike stopped what they were doing for a brief moment to stare but were quick to disregard them. By nightfall, they were already moving through the expansive forest.

"This place is huge. I bet you could fit all of Respite in here and never find it." Richard said as they prepared for the night.

"That's why we have a guide. Sailing the ocean is similar, only you have to walk." Circus commented.

"I just want to go someplace where I don't melt." Susan sighed.

"You were the ones who wanted to come." Sparky said.

"Actually, you forced me to help you." Circus replied.

"You four always this talkative?" Helen asked as she threw another log into a cooking fire.

The four monsters looked at her before resuming talking. Helen gave an amused chuckle that was followed by a sympathetic sigh. These four monsters were probably the most idiotic, hapless, selfless beings she has ever come across. To cross half way around the world with a half-baked plan was madness for a normal hunter but for a monster? Either they were stupidly lucky or the wild was very civilized.

 _All this for a kidnapped child. Or monster-napped. Still... What was that?_ , her ears picked up something snapping in the shadows.

"We've got company." Sparky said suddenly.

"Okay, now I really know you smelled a lot better when you lived in the streets." Richard agreed.

The encampment was suddenly surrounded by a pack of zinogre. If Helen were anywhere else and at a different time, she would have found such numbers odd since zinogre's were usually solitary. Nevertheless, her immediate focus was on survival.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? An annoying fur ball and four runts." one zinogre taunted.

"We're not looking for any trouble." Circus said nervously.

"That's what they all say." a different zinogre laughed.

"Tell me you walking insect hives," Sparky growled, not at all intimidated and knowing exactly how to make the pack back off, "Just how many of you are willing to fight for nothing? If anything, I'm pretty sure I could fry all of you right now if I wanted."

"And just how would you do that?" was the challenge.

"I fried a seregios and impressed an alatreon while having a concussion."

The pack shifted nervously and Sparky knew he hit them right where they were weakest, respect for power. Even still, they were outnumbered and he couldn't let loose with the energy inside of him to make due on his threat, not without killing everyone else near him. He could still intimidate them but if they had at least a quarter of the brains of the other strays from Respite, they were very likely to be in for a long night.

"Eh forget them. Besides, we've had our fun already." one of them finally said.

"Too bad our runt can't be the same. Hope she's dead tomorrow." another snarled as they left.

Helen nervously looked in the direct the pack left before realizing the rather loud debate between the monsters. While having no clue what they were bickering about, she knew they were split about something. Things got even more complicated when the zinogre and narcacuga sped off in the direction the pack came from.

"What now? You two stay here and keep the fire burning. Yell if something else shows up." she groaned as she left, leaving the monsters that stayed behind even more flabbergasted.

"Sparky! I don't know how I agreed to this but I want you to know I hate you!" Richard yelled as he nearly ran into a tree somewhere.

"Hate me later! Now shut up and keep your eyes and ears open!" Sparky snapped back.

Call it parental care or sticking up for the less fortunate (something that granted him a lot of friends in the streets) but he would be damned if he didn't act on the last thing he heard from the pack. He was about to jump over a fallen log when he heard something faint. Insects? No...it was whimpering...ragged whimpering. Carefully walking towards the source, he saw a badly injured zinogre.

"Richard! Over here!" he called.

Cautiously getting a closer look, he was able to tell that this was the "runt" the pack was talking about. Just barely larger than him and most likely malnourished, it was a miracle she was alive.

"No what in the world did you two run off for..." Helen complained as she followed Richard only to stop when she realized the issue.

"Any ideas?" Sparky asked.

"Let me help you bring her back. The others are going to be angry about this." Richard sighed.

"Please, no more." the female zinogre muttered.

 _And they call us monsters_ , Sparky thought as they made their way back to camp.


	17. Chapter 16: Enlarging the Party

Chapter 16: Enlarging the Party

MESSAGE START: NO SIGN OF CREW STOP POSSIBLE ESCAPE INTO EVERWOOD STOP STRANGE SIGHTINGS OF BLACK MIST NEAR CATHAR AND PRIMAL FOREST STOP VIOLENT ECOSYSTEM DISRUPTION FOLLOWS MIST AS WELL AS GOLDEN SCALES STOP LOCALS HAVE SUSPICION OF SHAGARU MAGALA ON RAMPAGE IN A METHODICAL MANNER STOP WILL INVESTIGATE AND RETURN TO FOLLOWING ORIGINAL CREW AT EARLIEST NOTICE STOP IF I GET ONE MORE MESSAGE LIKE THAT AGAIN I AM GOING TO PERSONALLY FEED YOU TO AN ALTAROTH COLONY WHILE COVERED IN HONEY JERRY SO WATCH WHAT YOU WRITE STOP MESSAGE END

"Runt" as she was known was far from a happy zinogre and to say that she was depressed could very well be an understatement. For whatever reason, she was too small to be of any help to the pack despite being healthy and even though her golden fur released far more energy than any of the others, she was treated poorly. Her parents were killed in a skirmish with a rathalos when she was just under a few weeks old, leaving her at the mercy of the rest of the pack. Scraps for food, beatings for no reason, even outright abandonment as a joke were the highlights of her life. Still, she stayed with them since she had no where else to go and to wander off would mean death.

That is until the pack decided to leave her for dead. After a severe beating, she could only remember laying on the ground in pain until something picked her up. Part of her thought the pack came back for "more fun", another thought a predatory found an easy meal, and a much smaller part believed she was already dead. Whichever way it was, all "Runt" wanted was the pain to stop.

"-ing you this is a mistake." someone said.

"Why is it a mistake?" someone else asked.

"Because you idiot we are wasting time."

"Call it a detour."

"Damn it Sparky! You got us into this mess and now you're dragging us further into the fire with you."

"Don't blame me for you wanting to come along. How many times have we been over this?"

"Not enough!"

Just what were these two arguing about? Opening her eyes, she saw a strangely colored zinogre talking with a...whatever it is talking to while a kecha wacha kept a small fire going behind them. The strangest part was that they were roughly her size.

"Richard, shut up already. Sparky, can you at least try to avoid making things complicated?" the kecha wacha sighed.

"Who are you?" she asked, nearly jumping up only to be crippled by pain.

"Easy there. We're not going to hurt you," the zinogre said calmly before muttering to himself, "Unlike those bastards."

"We're back! Everyone still alive here?" a felyne with another...something came out of the trees.

Sparky realized the injured zinogre tensed, fearful of Helen and Susan returning. She suddenly attempted to flee only to stumble as bandages came loose.

"That isn't good. Would you please settle down before you kill yourself?" Helen questioned in a sharp yet concerned voice.

"Circus, is that food cooked?" Sparky asked.

"Not fully but what-?" Circus questioned.

"Hand something over."

After calming the frightened zinogre down with the food and calm words, the bandages were redone and fresh medicine was applied. The group all started to converse quietly and with less criticism than before. Obviously their new member was injured, scared, and probably no better off than they are without help. Still, to have another monster to look after, one that they don't know and is likely to hold them back, caused friction between them.

Sparky finally ended the debate by stating how he was the same years ago, "You gave me a chance to live a life. We should give her that chance now."

A few days later the group found themselves stopping at a lake. The progress was slowed by the injured zinogre (who they decided to name Nancy instead of "Runt") and a few heated debates, but they all eventually got to appreciate the added company. Helen was more than intrigued by this since the majority of her time with similar monsters was saving her own fur from...less than pleasant means of dying.

 _Still have to wonder what's going to happen in the near future with this crowd_ , she thought as the evening sunset slowly turned the lake orange.

There was also the fact that Susan was acting...anxious as of late. It wasn't the heat or the humidity since the Everwood was fairly cool year round at all times. And with Richard's own unease, things undoubtedly were going to be interesting when something would happen. All that was needed to make it more hectic would be Circus to have someone for himself and Sparky to fall in with Nancy.

"Come and get it!" Circus called, catching the attention of everyone for dinner.

 _Oh well_ , she thought as she grabbed a cooked steak, _Something is going to happen eventually. The storm follows the calm and considering the fact these monsters were able to cause Val Harbor to loose all sense means they are going to cause enough confusion to turn the world upside down._

Later that evening, Nancy woke with a start and in a cold sweat. Unable to fall back to sleep, she decided to get a drink. Surprisingly, Sparky was staring across the lake. Despite being the oddest zinogre she has ever known, he was also the most compassionate and perhaps stubborn (for the right reasons) just as well.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, not bothering to turn around.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Grew up in noisy places, had to know when someone would sneak up on me." he answered as he gave a sad smile before looking at the moon above.

Nancy tilted her head in confusion before lapping some water and sitting next to Sparky. It was a peaceful night and a calm one as well.

"Why did you save me?" Nancy questioned.

"Hmm?" Sparky asked.

"Why did you save me?"

"...I...never forgave myself for loosing my son. Something told me if I acted sooner I could have saved him...now I'm dragging my sorry tail all across the world looking for him. I just...couldn't let someone else go...not when I have the chance to help." he answered.

"What was he like? Your son that is?"

"Phantom was, heh, mischievous. Sometimes the only way to keep him from causing trouble was to give him nulberries. I still remember the first time he saw snow. Thought it was raining pillow stuffing of all things."

While Nancy had no idea what snow was nor pillow stuffing, she imagined the memory was a good one. Something a family would have...something she never had.

"I miss that gore magala. I miss him so much." Sparky whimpered as the smile ran away from his face, barely noticing the comfort that Nancy was attempting to give.

On a different side of the lake, a shadow carefully crept up to the water edge. Sushifish swam beneath the surface, unaware of the hungry gaze upon them. With a quick motion, two were slashed out of the water and onto the bank. Before they could flop back to safety, the same claws that grabbed them ended their lives before they were promptly eaten. The predator let out a quiet belch before it started to clean itself. Looking at its reflection, it questioned itself and why it was living in this strange, dangerous place. The creature that taught it what the predator could be in horrifying madness...that Thing ruined everything. The monsters fled from the predator when they first saw it and hunters blindly charged after it. It was confused and scared, even now after months of living in solitude and hopefully far away from the...Thing.

All it wanted was to go home. The only reminder of home sat tightly around its neck. As blue eyes stared at the collar around its neck, the predator sighed. Before curling into a sobbing ball of loneliness and self misery.

"I want to go home. I want daddy again." Phantom cried to himself.

Meanwhile:

"Ugh...last time I am eating kelbi with dragon berries." Circus groaned as his stomach grumbled once again.

Once he was finished dealing with the after results of dinner, he began to go back to the camp, questioning why everyone else was up. Richard and Susan disappeared off somewhere while Sparky was staring at the lake and Nancy following. At least Helen was still asleep where she was. Everyone will go back to sleep when they are done crying.

 _Wait...that's not Sparky_ , Circus thought.

Following the source of the crying, Circus was more than shocked to find what they were looking for. It was bigger, slightly rough around the edges, and in desperate need of a bath but it was Phantom. There was no doubting it. How many gore magala's did he know that looked like that?

 _Well hot damn what do you know?_ , "You have no idea how good it is to see you." Circus said quietly.

"Who are you?! What do you want?!" the young monster exclaimed, immediately backing up.

"It's me, Circus. From the docks, remember?"

"Wha...What are you doing here?" Phantom asked, flabbergasted.

"That...is a long and crazy story but there is someone who has been driving himself insane looking for you."

"Who?"

"How about we find out together?" Circus asked warmly.

Sparky managed to compose himself after a few moments. Nancy still was comforting him but it wasn't helping much. Fond memories were soured by the fact that they were from a better time.

"I hope you find him." Nancy whispered.

"Sparky!" Circus called.

"Circus? What are you doing up?" Sparky questioned.

"Never mind that," Circus grinned, "Take a look who I found."

Sparky held his breath as a familiar shape came out of the shadows.

"Daddy?" the shape asked.

"Phantom!" Sparky yelped with joy.

"Nya! What in the flying hell is going on?!" Helen cried as she awoke with a start.

"What happened?! What happened?!" Richard yelled as he came out of a bush, looking embarrassed.

"I'm telling you, we're lost!" a different voice complained.

"Will you shut up? We'll set up...camp...here..." a group of hunters stumbled onto the scene.

Everyone except Sparky and Phantom thought the same thing and nearly said it at the same time: "What the hell is going on here?"


	18. Chapter 17: Dealing with Hunters

Chapter 17: Dealing With Hunters

MESSAGE START: NO CONFIRMED REPORTS OF CREW STOP EXPEDITIONS INTO EVERWOOD CONTINUE STOP RECEIVED LATEST LETTER REGARDING INCIDENT IN RESPITE STOP LOCAL GUILD AGREES TO SEND CAPTURE QUESTS WITH CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS OF PEACEFUL APPROACH AND DELIVERY TO OWNERS OF PETS STOP CAPTURED ALATREON HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE CALMED DOWN AFTER OVERHEARING TALKS ABOUT SEARCH STOP JERRY I AM GOING TO SAY THIS AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE STOP SHUT UP AND DO YOUR JOB ALREADY STOP MESSAGE END

Technically it was Elliot's fault for getting them lost but it was Victoria who let him have the map. Regardless of who is to blame, Walter knew things have gotten very complicated the moment everything happened all at once. To start, Elliot snapped his tigrex skull from his back with Victoria drawing her twin blades to follow. Then the ash ketch wacha jumped and fell into the lake, the nargacuga in the bushes retreated back into the bushes before being chased out by an angry barioth, the felyne was screeching for everyone to calm down, one of the zinogres cowered while the other (was it a stygian or a normal one?) seemed completely oblivious to what was happening while having its attention to...probably its pup. How did a side trip from the caravan to gather some minerals lead to this?

 _Worry about that later_ , he told himself, _There's bigger issues right now_.

"What's the plan? This doesn't look good," Victoria said nervously.

"No kidding," Elliot agreed.

"Will all of you idiots just calm down for at least ten seconds?! Nya, it's too late for this!" the felyne yelled.

"Watch the sides! Don't get surrounded!" Walter warned, having his lagia burst loaded and ready.

Circus was loosing his patience. This night has to be the best/worst night of his life due to the circumstances. They find Phantom at long last which means they can go home but at the same time they are surprised by a group of hunters. They probably have no clue what they have walked up upon but they clearly are nervous and it isn't helping that Susan is yelling at Richard about...something. And on top of all this, he has water up his nose!

 _Hold it! Hold it! Don't even think about_ \- "Achoo!" he sneezed.

"Ack!" Helen yelped as her tail caught on fire.

Out of all the things that somehow avoided being caught on fire in the past, it was her tail. Thanks to what she assumed is a sneeze (it better be for Circus' sake) that is changed. Putting the flame out, she was disappointed to find the commotion still going with the hunters squawking while the monsters were bouncing around worse than jaggi's. Deciding to end this, she calmly walked to her pack and pulled out an herb horn. It was meant to be an in-field medical tool but for the moment it would serve another purpose, a very loud noise maker. Taking a deep breath and making sure to remember which frequency to blow at, she let loose with the loudest and shrillest note possible.

Sparky was less than thrilled to have his hearing nearly ruined. He knew about the madness around him but it was not important up until the moment the torture of having his ears assaulted. He then had to focus on calming Nancy and Phantom down while Helen went on a rather lengthy rant before explaining things.

"So why is there a gore magala there?" one of the hunters questioned.

"Don't even think about it," Sparky growled slightly.

"Oh for heaven's sake! They were looking for someone! How was I supposed to know it was a gore magala when they didn't tell me? What I do know is that it's bloody late, they accomplished their self proclaimed quest, my tail is singed, and that we can be rational after I get my sleep!" Helen roared.

That was enough to cause the hunters to reconsider their actions. Even though one stayed up to keep an eye on them (Phantom specifically), Sparky didn't care. The pain and guilt has finally been lifted and Phantom was more than thrilled to hear that he would be going back to Respite. Surprisingly enough, he took an instant liking to Nancy who returned the sentiment despite being utterly confused.

"You going to be with Daddy when we go home?" Phantom asked as they settled down.

"I hope so," Nancy answered.

"Uh...Well she will be coming home with us," Sparky said awkwardly, earning a confused look from Nancy.

"Does that mean you will make her dinner like Uncle Ricky did for Aunt Susan?" Phantom questioned.

 _Ack!_ "Okay! I think someone has forgotten manners and needs to get some sleep," Sparky said embarrassingly before giving a brief look towards Nancy, "I'll explain later."

Nancy cocked her head in confusion, having no clue what the domesticated zinogre was even talking about nor why he was so nervous. However, she did feel a pang of jealousy as she watched the affection between the two monsters. Comfort and love were alien emotions to her due to being harassed by her former pack. The group did show some comfort, but it was more out of pity than actual companionship.

Despite this, she felt happy for Sparky. He was the one who saved her and the most patient. He didn't care that she was smaller than him, had a different colored pelt of greenish-gold, or that she slowed his search down. Now that the search was finished, she was hoping that he would continue to let her remain in his pack. His son also seemed to have an interest in her and was more curious than scornful like the previous pups in her old pack. Why Sparky was hesitant about what his son said was lost on her, but for some reason she was finding the meaning behind the request...to be leading to something wonderful.

Elliot was less than thrilled about taking first shift, but someone had to do it. The monsters were a concern but if the wild rumor was true then there shouldn't be any issues. Although the gore magala was an issue. Out of the entire world where monsters, no matter how dangerous, are allowed to live two stood out. The first was the devilijoh for obvious reasons. The things were too uncontrollable and despite having decent materials that could be put to use, they were classified as too hostile and anyone who killed one would receive a hefty pension.

But magala's? Either the dedicated, the most skilled, or the stupid went after those. While the Frenzy was temporary for hunters, it would wreck havoc on the environment and it would get worse if an apex survived. If a magala was spotted an entire region would be placed under quarantine and at the very lowest two squads of skilled hunters would sweep the area.

 _And now we have one that is more protected than a bank vault_ , he thought to himself.

Then there was the fact the miniature monsters were more intelligent than the usual batch. Especially that odd zinogre. What was it? A subspecies? Variant? Some mad scientists failed experiment? Well whatever it was it gave one hell of a glare just for them being suspicious about something that under usual circumstances would be a threat. Now that "something" was fondly sleeping in the paws of the odd zinogre and being cradled like a child.

"Elliot? You awake in there? Hello?" a voice broke his stupor.

"Huh?" he muttered.

"Okay... Didn't know you sleep with your eyes open," Victoria said.

"What time is it?"

"Shortly after sunrise. You've been sitting there looking like a gargoyle all night," Walter answered as he carefully placed another log into a cooking fire.

"Oh ha ha. So what are we going to do with the monsters?"

"Surprisingly enough, send them home. Ever heard of Respite Island?"

"No. And is that kecha wacha cooking?"

"Actually knows how to cook a fish better than the slope they serve in taverns half the time," Victoria said.

On the other end of the camp Phantom was enjoying a well cooked sushifish covered in nulberries. While not as heavenly as he remembered, somewhat overcooked, and having a lingering taste of soot, it was the best thing he has eaten in months. As for Daddy...he was scared for some reason.

"Daddy, why are you scared?" he asked.

"It's...complicated Phantom. I can't explain it well," was the response.

"Why?"

"Many people outside from home...aren't understanding and would want to hurt you. Home also is far away."

So...mean people and a long way from home. How has that been any different from having to live in the wilderness? Or was it because everyone would see Phantom as the Thing?

"So this is what you've been waltzing half across the world for," the felyne from last night said with a yawn.

"No funny idea Helen," Sparky glared.

"Just looking. Never would have thought I would see a magala this small before, let alone one being a pet," Helen said before petting Phantom on the head.

The petting felt nice. Scratchy but perfect at getting the annoying dirt that he couldn't get off. Maybe this felyne would follow them home?

Victoria finally figure out where they were. How Elliot was clueless to hold the map upside down was a mystery but considering they had to run from an angry basarios well after sundown she wasn't going to bother yelling. Besides, there was a new issue to deal with.

"So are we going to send them home?" Walter asked.

"Might as well," she answered, "It's that or have them drive the guild crazy."

"Or drive me crazy. I hat being paranoid," Elliot grumbled.

"You're paranoid about everything Elliot," Victoria smiled.

"Ha ha. I don't care if we take them so long as they don't sleep in my wagon."

"Let's just find the caravan before we start this," Walter sighed as he grabbed his supplies.

Circus was quite impressed on how much fish Phantom was eating. Poor kid ate so much cooked fish and that he fell over sleeping. Maybe one of them was a sleepyfish? Possible, but he made sure to get rid of those unless one of the hunters didn't. Whatever. Now how to carry his was the real question. He grew quite a bit living out here and while still small he won't be easy to carry. Hopefully he wakes up soon.

"Glad Susan didn't kill me last night," Richard whispered to himself off to the side.

"What was that?" Circus asked.

"Nothing!"

"Two things Richard. One, I have big ears for a reason. Two, you need to work on your lying."

"I didn't say anything."

"Sure you didn't," Circus rolled his eyes, "What were you doing up last night anyway?"

"Alright! Listen up!" one of the hunters yelled.

This got the attention of everyone in the camp (with the exception of Phantom of course). Most of the monsters were wary towards the hunters and for good reason. Circus still has a hidden fear for lances after nearly being impaled by an impulsive hunter who refused to store their weapon at the port in Respite.

"We're going to make our way back to our caravan once we break camp. You're welcome to join us or carry on by yourselves," the gunner told them.

"If you do come you'll be expected to be in sight at all times and listen to us when in town. Don't bother denying it, we know you're smart enough to follow instructions," the dual blade user added.

The monsters looked at each other and quickly discussed between themselves. The hunters waited until the colorful zinogre (which Helen explained is the de facto leader or the group and named Sparky) gave a light nod. Shortly after that, the camp was broken down and they began to head for the caravan.


	19. Chapter 18: On the Road

Chapter 18: On the Road

MESSAGE START: ALATREON STILL IN CUSTODY AND IS BEING CONSIDERED TO BE RELOCATED TO NATIVE HABITAT STOP RUMORS ABOUT TRAVELING MONSTERS LESSENED TO QUIET RUMORS WITH HUNTERS MORE FOCUSED ON OTHER QUESTS STOP STRANGE MONSTER BEHAVIOR REPORTED NEAR HEAVEN'S MOUNT DESPITE LOCAL COMMUNITY REPORTING THE SANCTUARY BEING IN GOOD CONDITION STOP REQUESTING UPDATES ON DEPLOYMENT AND RETURN STOP THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO FILE THE BLOODY PAPERWORK JERRY STOP MESSAGE END

Howard was not in charge of a large caravan. He did not have a merchant to handle finances, a smith for repairs, or even transport wagon for passengers. Very few hunters would accept to guard him with these arrangements where they would need to be self sufficient. The only ones who did stay long enough to last more than one job were Walter, Elliot, and Victoria. They were close friends, reliable, and (usually) the perfect companions for the road.

So when they returned late he was not expecting a reason (figuring they got lost due to the Everwood being a confusing maze), but when got one he was not amused. What other explanation in front of him could be anything but a bad joke?

"Exactly why are there a bunch of midget monsters following a felyne behind you?" he groaned, dreading the story to come.

"How do you want it? The complicated way or the 'don't worry about it' way?" Elliot questioned back.

"The 'don't worry about it' way."

"The oddest kidnapping ever," Walter answered.

"Fantastic," Howard sighed, "Now what?"

"Get to Dundorma, send them home, go to a tavern and get drunk. Preferably in that order so when we tell this tale we don't look mad, we just appear drunk," Victoria answered.

So...passengers...could be worse. Definitely the oddest batch he would ever have the misfortune of transporting but considering their calm demeanor it could be worse. Two zinogres, am ash kecha wacha, a nargacuga, a barrioth, a...lizard thing, and a felyne. Now how to transport them?

"Any ideas on how we're going to get them to Dundorma? Because we don't have a lot of space to spare," Howard mentioned.

"The wagons have some room for them. We just space them out," Walter suggested.

"They make a mess of things it's on your heads," Howard sighed.

"So...who's sleeping with who?" Richard asked after hearing this.

"The obvious arrangement. Circus, you're the odd one out," Sparky answered.

"I can handle sleeping on top of a wagon. I've handled worse," Circus replied.

The next few weeks went by calmly after the situation was organized. Sparky, Nancy, and Phantom took the lead wagon owned by Elliot; Richard and Susan had Victoria; and Helen surprisingly along with Circus and Walter. As for the caravan itself, it attracted fewer attacks from wild monsters and quickly became trustful of the smaller monsters.

That is...until they reached the Primal Forest. The heat, dangers, and general slow going put the monsters on edge due to them being more used to a colder climate.

"I feel like I'm going to choke if this swamp continues to release anything else," Richard yawned.

"You?! I've been smelling the same toxic fumes before we even got here," Sparky replied.

"Ugh, I'm too tired for this argument."

"What keeps you up at night? Your bad cooking?," Circus teased.

"Very funny," Richard groaned.

"Actually, I do remember hearing something a few nights ago from your end of the caravan. Something happen between you and Susan?"

"She also did mention about an odd pain yesterday," Sparky added in.

"Eh...remember the night we found Phantom?," Richard asked uneasily.

"I remember you coming out of...this isn't going to end well," Circus said once he realized what was happening.

Sparky gave it some thought himself before realizing the same, "Circus, do me a favor and make sure Phantom does not hear what I'm about to say."

Helen was quite amused at the spectacle that was in front of her. Whatever was happening was beyond her understanding but for whatever reason Sparky went from calm to what could only be described as incensed with Richard so startled that spikes flew with a jump. Now the angry zinogre was partially zapping the poor nargacuga as the chase around the caravan continued.

 _Wonder what has his fur in a knot_ , she thought to herself.

"Ack! What is with you two?," Walter yelped as he got a mild zap from the chase.

"Whatever it is it's probably not something young ears should hear," Helen commented.

"What do you mean by that?"

Helen just pointed towards Circus and Phantom. The former wincing with each bark and attempting to block out the noise for himself and the latter who simply watched with a bemused but questioning look.

"Wonder if it has to deal with the fact that Susan is expecting," Walter mussed.

"Maybe," Helen said thoughtfully, "But if that's the case then why would Sparky be annoyed?"

After Richard was able to sit down without twitching back up, he was even more miserable. Fur puffed out, tail spikes refusing to relax, and a ringing head filled with sharp words from earlier. He understood Sparky's anger and in hindsight he would have given himself a harsh lecture.

 _But did he have to fry me?_ , the pained nargacuga thought.

"Richard!," came a piercing shriek.

"What did I do to deserve this personal hell?"

Meanwhile at the head of the caravan...

"I would normally cut around the skeleton to get to Dundorma but with the fact that the trail got...damaged due to an elder dragon of some kind we're going to be forced to go for the Frozen Seaway," Howard stated to the hunters.

"Heard there's a nasty khezu breeding going on up there. Bleedin' things are a pain," Victoria stated.

"Eh just load up fire rounds whenever they climb. They'll slip easily enough," Elliot remarked.

"Regardless, I know you three hate the cold so I'll compensate once we get into a town," Howard said.

"You're already dealing with our antics as is. You don't need-," Walter was cut off as Elliot covered his mouth.

"Antics or not, I'm your employer so I make the decisions on what to pay you," Howard smirked.

A few weeks later the caravan exited the Primal Forest and slowly made its way across the Frozen Seaway. It took a while, but the caravan was able to safely navigate the treacherous region before finding itself near the main locations hunters pick their quests for. Phantom, having seen snow only once before, immediately bounded into the white fluffy piles with Sparky and Nancy following behind.

"So this is snow," Nancy stated more than asked.

"Well...maybe a bit more of crushed ice than actual snow but close enough I suppose," Sparky said as Phantom continued to happily pounce about.

"What is it like at Respite?"

"Depends. On the streets it can be difficult but you can make a name for yourself. In a house life is handed to you on a silver platter. In the wilds...well I think you know that better than I do."

"What's a 'house' and 'silver platter'?"

"Eh, how do I explain this?"

While the two zinogres talked while keeping an eye on Phantom, Helen accompanied Elliot on an small mining trip to the caves. Despite the khezu's breeding, they hoped to gather a few minerals before they would be noticed.

"Fight any of these things before?," Elliot asked.

"Plenty. Red ones are horrible, especially in humid regions," Helen replied.

"Oh really? Try two red ones after having run out of hot drinks and out of other supplies. That was a fun time."

"Very funny."

They passed by the joyful gore magala and the two onlooking zinogres as they walked. Phantom, curious as to why they had pick axes (or "garden sticks" as he saw them), he followed behind. Both smiled at this and carried on while they were followed.

It didn't take long for them to find the entrance of the caves. Elliot lit a touch and began looking for ore veins while Helen did the same. Nearby, Phantom curiously looked at the stalactites on the ceiling with Sparky close by. Nancy seemed a little more skittish and hung back at the entrance but was close enough to see them all. After a few moments, it was Phantom who surprisingly found a vein of malachite.

"Well I never would have thought I would find malachite like this before," Elliot stated as he put his bag down to start mining.

"I told you they are unique," Helen called, finding a vein herself.

"Why is they hitting the rocks?," Phantom asked.

"They're trying to get smaller rocks from them," Sparky answered, unsure on how to answer.

"But why?"

"It's... We've got to go," Sparky's voice changed quickly as a small gust of wind blew through the caves.

"Huh?"

"We have to leave. Now! Helen! Elliot!"

"What's got you worked up?," Helen asked until two very loud screeches came from within the caves.

"What is that?!," Nancy yelped.

"Gigginox!," was all Sparky had time to yell out in terror before two slug like creatures burst from the shadows.


	20. Chapter 19: Dragons and Other Concerns

Chapter 19: Dragons and Other Concerns

MESSAGE START: SHAGARU MAGALA SPOTTED STOP REQUESTING ELITE G RANK HUNTERS IMMEDIATELY STOP LOCAL DRAGON WATCH ON ALERT AND HAS SPOTTED ANOTHER POSSIBLE ELDER DRAGON WITH UNCONFIRMED SIGHTINGS STOP JERRY I AM NOT JOKING THIS TIME STOP I SWEAR IF I DIE BECAUSE YOU REFUSED TO DO YOUR JOB I WILL MAKE YOU LIFE AND AFTERLIFE A PERSONAL HELL STOP MESSAGE END

Helen yowled while Elliot dove to the side. One of the worms was definitely a khezu. The other he only read about and had no idea what it was. Only things at the moment he knew was that both worms were terrifying and angry. To make things worse, both seemed to take notice of the others in the cavern and decided to put their brawl off to the side until they were done eating.

"The hell did these come from?!," he yelled.

"How should I know?! Shoot them damn it!," Helen snapped as she prepared to attack.

Not needing to be told twice, he pulled out his dios blaster and loaded a clip of fire rounds. He knew two things about the region that several hunters seemingly forget all the time: the things that live here hate fire and the environment doesn't either. Knowing this, he aimed his first shot at the khezu to get its attention. The ugly thing turned and was about to shriek until he fired again, this time at the stalactite above it. The point did not skewer the khezu as he had hoped, but having a solid junk of ice landing on you had to hurt. He would have continued firing if it weren't for a purple glob of poison flying his way.

"Ah hell! And here I thought frying was bad enough," he muttered.

"Less talk more fighting!," Helen snarled as she hacked away at the leech like neck that extended towards her.

"Easier said than done!"

They were then surprised to find the three monsters who were accompanying them running back in. To make things more confusing, both worms stopped their assault and faced the entrance as something big came closer.

"Helen?," Elliot said uneasily.

"When something is more terrifying than your worst nightmare is heading at you?," she replied.

"Yeah."

"Run like hell?"

A roar that terrifies everything that hears it came from the entrance. What followed was a dreaded mouth full of teeth and drool.

"When a damned deviljho is concerned running like hell is too slow!," Helen responded before bolting with Elliot close behind.

In another section of the caves:

"What was that thing?!," Phantom cried out in fear.

"Terrifying, that's what!," Sparky yelped.

"Normally I would question you but I know enough about what that thing can do to agree," Nancy panted.

The sounds behind them (namely the terrified shrieks before...equally nightmarish sounds occurred) were more than enough to keep them moving. Not even the terrible beauty of the ice cave depths, a place that screamed at them of danger, was enough to keep them from running.

"On the right! We'll get out that way and loose it in the snow," Sparky called as he saw another opening.

The three monsters rushed out and only stopped once they were a sufficient distance away from the caves. Rapid, hard breaths filled the air with clouds as they caught their breath.

"What about...Helen and Elliot?," Phantom asked once he mustered the strength to talk.

"They're...grown ups... They'll...be fine...," Sparky answered.

"Why...is it...getting colder?," Nancy questioned as a sudden wind chill spiked.

All three were surprised by the sudden change in weather. However, their attention changed quickly once the hunter and felyne came running out of the cave...with a hungry deviljho following. Looking back behind them was a slope that eventually led to a cliff. In short, they were cornered.

"Phantom, have you learned how to fly over time?," Sparky asked.

"N-no," Phantom whimpered as the slobbering terror got closer.

"Great... Nancy you go left and try to do something to it. Phantom, go right and distract it. Try calling it names."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to fry it," Sparky growled softly.

Elliot noticed the change in the smaller monsters stance and pulled a full clip of blast rounds out from his ammo pouch.

"You're not serious," Helen exclaimed.

"Eh I'd rather be a painful meal to swallow than an easy one," Elliot said with nervous humor.

"Well...killed one of these before. Might as-Nya!," Helen exclaimed as the wind picked up sharply with a sudden shadow blocking out the sun.

"Oh no no no! This simply will not do. First that obnoxious poisonous abomination and now this?! I'm getting too old for this! Begone foul beast or I will send you off myself!," a loud, booming roar above challenged the deviljho.

"First alatreons and now the legendary kushala daora itself," Sparky said in awe, "What's the next elder dragon to help us?"

"Well I'll be damned and blessed! A rusted kushala daora!," Elliot exclaimed.

"More like freezing my furry tail off!," Helen snapped.

The deviljho roared out its own challenge before it was blasted with icy winds and violent twisters. Seeing an opportunity to drive the deviljho back and potentially keep good graces with the elder dragon, Sparky ran forward and let loose with a powerful charge of electricity on the hungry menace. The others, stunned at first, quickly joined the attack.

"Watch yourselves! I'm laying down suppressing fire!," Elliot warned before having his dios blaster unleash its wrath.

"Hey! Ugly! I bet fish are smarter than you!," Phantom yelled only for the deviljho to roar out in anger, "Eek! Sorry!"

Helen dashed underfoot, attacking whenever an opening presented itself while avoiding the scattered attacks. She wasn't as gutsy as other felynes in combat, but she knew when and where to hit targets far larger than her. Besides, having killed one (even if it was her doing a more supportive role with a group) did give an advantage in fighting. That didn't mean she was expecting the icy wind however.

 _Bloody dragon_ , she silently growled as she was thrown off to the side.

"I said begone!," the kushala doara roared once more before unleashing the full extent of its fury onto the invading monster.

The deviljho attempted one final defiant roar but it lost its breath thanks to the combined attacks and final, crippling blow. It couldn't even make its own death significant as it simply collapsed under its own weight. With a snort of satisfaction, the rusty kushala doara turned its focus towards the party.

"Now what do we have here? A bunch of youngsters and...hunters," the elder dragon said.

"Um, we don't want any trouble. We'll be leaving now," Sparky said nervously.

"Daddy?," Phantom questioned.

"Not now Phantom."

"Right. Fuzzy ball of electric death is leaving, we should do the same," Elliot stated, not wishing to pick a fight with an elder dragon.

"Now hold on. I might be a century old but I still enjoy some company every once in a while," the elder dragon said.

"We wouldn't want to intrude on your home any longer than necessary and apologize for bringing...unwanted trouble with us," Sparky replied, still nervous.

"Trouble? Trouble?! Merely an inconvenience. No trouble at-," it took the elder dragon several minutes to realize that its rambles led to it not realizing the group to quietly leave, "Oh buggering hell. Last time I had a chance like this was five years ago."

Ten minutes after stumbling in the dark:

"Giant worms, large hungry nightmares, elder dragons, dealing with overly intelligent monsters, what's next?," Helen grumbled.

"Getting lost in a cave?," Elliot suggested.

"Not helping."

"Are hunters always like this?," Nancy questioned.

"Not sure," Sparky answered.

For going a short distance from the original entrance to the cliff, the caves seem to be far larger on the return trip. Perhaps they took a wrong turn but not even the use of a torch and rough sketch of a map was able to help. Part of the issue was that very few maps were reliable and most were only meant for the three most accessible caverns. Other than that, it was impossible to know where one would wind up.

"I smell cooking," Phantom said tiredly as he rode on his fathers back.

"Hmm? I'm impressed Phantom. Barely realized that myself," Sparky congratulated.

"Smells like meat to me," Nancy added, "But also...wet fur?"

Helen and Elliot barely noticed the smells themselves until they found themselves tangled in nets. The monsters yelped as a different net caught them hanging from the ceiling.

"Nya! What is with today?!," Helen cried out.

"Guess it's one of those days," Elliot sighed.

"Wait...nets...Frozen Seaway...isn't there a felyne village around here?"

"I think I remember something about that," Sparky muttered.

"I think so. Why?," Elliot asked.

"Because I forgot a letter back at the caravan," Helen said as felyne hunters came forth to see what was in their nets, "One that might have been our best means of handling this."

"Not again!," Sparky whined.


	21. Chapter 20: Returning to Civilization

Chapter 20: Returning to Civilization

MESSAGE START: GOGMAZIOS ON APPROACH STOP REQUESTS FOR ANTI-DRAGON EQUIPMENT ARE OF HIGHEST PRIORITY STOP ALL SEARCHES ARE PUT ON HOLD STOP THIS WILL BE LAST MESSAGE UNTIL SITUATION IS OVER STOP JERRY WE HAVE OUR ISSUES BUT IF ANYTHING HAPPENS YOU BETTER TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF STOP SOMEONE HAS TO HANDLE THE MESSAGES THAT COME AND GO STOP MESSAGE END

"Well, this is a predicament," Elliot said with dry humor.

 _More like hell. And people claim stygians to be the lords of Hell_ , Sparky thought miserably as he was forced to once again bear the guilt and shame of getting those close to him captured.

The group was promptly cut from the nets and tied up before being split apart. Helen was dragged off to a tent where a heated discussion was taking place. Elliot was not overly concerned about the affair since a hunter as himself was often recognized to be an opportunity. The monsters however faced menacing glares and a wet, cold demise should they so much sneeze without permission behind them.

"Nya, shut up!" one of the felynes shouted.

"Sorry," Elliot apologized.

"Idiot hunter," another muttered.

Elliot decided not to retort to that. Having been called worse and the idea of having something poked into him if he spoke out kept his mouth shut. Still, he did find the insult to be somewhat more humorous than an actual jab. Chances are that the felyne who spoke out was one who thought the world was theirs, only be be outclassed by someone better. Not necessarily bad, but not the best as they boast. It always felt amusing to put up with those kinds of companions...or at least most of the time when their ego didn't get in the way or they were pointing a rather sharp sword at him.

 _Wonder what the rest are up to_ , he thought to himself.

Meanwhile...

"Bloody hell," Richard groaned as Susan covered him with frost due to agitation.

"The misses having a bad time?" Howard snickered.

Richard flashed his eyes in irritation but said nothing in return. He was tired, cold, and frankly bored. The traveling up until this point had purpose and he always had something to do. Having three well armed hunters, a crafty caravan driver, and felyne all of which knew how to handle the outside world far better alone than he could with help rendered him close to useless. Short of putting up with Susan's...changes in attitude and trying to entertain Phantom (if the ball of energy would ever leave his father, not that he could blame either of them on that however) there was nothing really to do.

Maybe he should have joined the others when they left. Or maybe not, the weather over the mountain blew up into a freak storm after some faint roars were heard.

"Look alive! We've got a seregios," Victoria warned.

"What the hell is one of those doing up here? And where the hell are the others?! They should have been back by now," Walter exclaimed.

"I swear if it's Steve again I'm going to make sure someone has his scales shaved off," Richard groaned.

"Not sure how you plan on having someone do that but unfortunately it is him," Circus said as he sat on a wagon.

"How do you know?"

"Recognize the pitch and the fact that we seem to have unusual luck of running into him."

"So do you know what was coming from the mountain earlier?"

"When was that?"

While the two monsters conversed, knowing that Steve was more of a nuisance than a threat considering the story Merlin told them a while back, Victoria and Walter armed themselves.

"Where is it?" Walter asked.

"It was out on the frozen lake. Not sure if it's still there," Victoria answered.

The lake did show signs of something big and hungry went through the area recently. Fresh gouges in the ice, ice chips strewn about, and a pile of freshly eaten fish accounted for that. Other than this however...

"I don't like this," Victoria said nervously.

"Best case is keep it away from the caravan. Let's head back so Howard doesn't kill us for leaving him alone if it shows up," Walter suggested.

Heading back, they saw a group of felynes heading for the caravan. The seemed a bit disgruntled at their appearance but were at least willing to-

"Watch out!" one of them cried out as a shadow landed in front of them all.

"All shall fear the name of Steve! I will make sure of it!" the golden creature roared, forgetting that non of the felynes or hunters could understand him.

"For the love of everything, will you stop following us?!" a different roar called.

"You again?" Steve cringed at the sight of the opposition that did not cower.

Richard just gave the equivalent of a blank expression towards the seregios.

"Yes and if I remember you got your scaly arse fried the last time you were near any of us. Now unless you want me to go get the one responsible for that I suggest you go pester someone else and stop bleedin' following us," Richard growled tiredly.

The hunters were rather surprised to see the seregios back up slowly before flying off. Looking at the narcacuga in surprise, they could only deduce that something was exchanged between the monsters despite the obvious difference in size and danger.

"Uh...what just happened?" Walter questioned.

"I suppose you're the idiots the other idiot mentioned," a different voice broke in.

The hunters turned around to see a group of felynes angrily staring at them.

"Can we help you?" Victoria asked.

"Found some of your furends snooping in our village, nya. Along with some meownsters like the one over there," one snarled.

"Touch me and get skewered," Richard glared before walking away.

"So...you want us to get them out of whatever mess they made or are you just letting us know that you found them?" Victoria asked.

"Actually, we came to make sure the meownsters with them are worth keeping alive or as pelts," was the response.

"Well...I'm sure there's no need to be hasty about that. We'll-" Walter attempted.

"You'll give us proof or they die."

"Uh...what goes as proof then?"

"A letter. The felyne Helen has it in her supplies," was the only answer they got.

Back at the village:

"I'm telling you that this is pointless," Helen stated in weary exasperation.

"It mostly is," the village chieftain agreed, "Unfortunately most seem to think the outside world holds nothing but disaster for us."

"Of course."

"Oi! This isn't funny anymore! You seriously don't have a toilet around here? Not even a waste basket?! I understand I'm a prisoner here but I'm about to ruin my armor here and then have it freeze!" the distressed voice of Elliot yelled.

"Shut up!" was the response.

"Well then...that's disgusting and I've had the misfortune of having a congalala decide to use my hiding spot as a toilet," Helen shivered at the memory.

"That's...something unique I suppose," the chieftain said.

Helen gave a sight before being led to somewhere else. She was tired of the madness and frankly wanted to go back to the caravan. The fact that she was seen with disdain as being an intruder was bad enough, the others for who they were was terrible. What bothered her even more was the fact that this place was recommended to help rather than cause issues. Her proof also out of reach didn't help either.

Her thoughts of dismay were interrupted however when she and the others we led out of the village. Greeting them were Walter and Victoria.

"Come to save us?" she asked with a small smile.

"Somewhat," Walter replied, "Been waiting for five minutes really."

"That's good. Now excuse me," Elliot muttered before rushing as fast as he could behind an ice wall.

"Do we ask?" Victoria said.

"You probably don't want an answer," Sparky muttered as he led Phantom and Nancy away from the village.

After getting back, the caravan continued on its way through the region. Disappointment about loosing potential help was not found among the monsters due to the reception given. If anything, everyone wanted to leave the region. Whether it was the cold, the village, the dangerous monsters, or simply the oddness leading to all scenarios, they wanted to leave. Heading for Dundorma was a relief. The only things that had everyone on edge was the idea of having to deal with the city reacting towards the monsters and Susan.

"Daddy, what's wrong with Aunt Sussan?" Phantom asked as they continued on the road, taking notice to the unusual behavior.

 _Well hell..._ , Sparky internally blanked as he attempted to think of an appropriate answer.


	22. Chapter 21: Questions and Impending Doom

Chapter 21: Questions and Impending Doom

The return to warmer climates was much more prevalent to the monsters than when they initially left home as it was now fully summer. Panting, drinking water, and staying in the shade was all they could do to prevent heat exhaustion. The only time they bothered to move around was around late evening and even then the lingering heat would cook them.

"I keep offering them cold drinks but they refuse to drink them," Walter exclaimed one night.

"Probably because they taste like Richard's bad cooking," Circus grumbled.

"Hey!" Richard cried back.

"Probably because there's something in them that they don't like," Victoria suggested.

"Well they are made out of bitterrbugs and ice crystals," Helen mentioned.

The monsters that heard this were instantly disgusted, having bad memories of the times whenever one of the insects found a way into their mouths. The hunters were oblivious to the meaning of the expressions and odd noises that registered in their ears. The others who didn't hear what cold drinks could only guess at what they were complaining about.

 _I think it had to do with Richard's cooking... But why would that upset everyone when the last time he cooked was months ago?_ , Sparky wondered before finding himself having to explain exactly the point of cooking food to Nancy.

Other than the heat, all the monsters could focus on was going home (or a better one in Nancy's case). From leaving so long ago to meeting large monsters, being helped and chased by hunters, and being around the world has been quite the adventure. Too bad they had no desire or the knowledge to publish it since it would have made a decent seller in stores. Instead, they had more focus on going home and staying there. The outside world was two things that clearly did not sit well with them: big and scary. At least home was understandable.

The next few days were like this manner, long, hot, and boring. At least the wild seemed to agree and left the caravan in peace. The only thing that even remotely offered excitement was Susan yowling in the middle of the night every once in a while.

"Sparky whatever you do, don't have anymore kids than you do already," Richard groaned one morning before falling back asleep as the caravan continued to head towards its destination.

"Eh I wouldn't mind having a bunch of little zinogres running around a fresh haul but I can see where he's coming from," Circus said as he attempted to cook a slab of fresh meat.

"Speaking from experience?" Sparky asked.

"Not personal but one of the crew had...'extended shore leave'. Few times I would see him he looked like he was about to fall over like poor Richard over there."

"How about you? Want kids of your own?"

"Nah, I'm fine."

This conversation was broken up by the sudden cry of excitement. Phantom spotted their destination and was nearly in tears of joy to see civilization after so long.

"Well isn't that sight for sore eyes?" Circus asked.

"Hopefully no angry mobs this time," Sparky said.

"We've got company," Walter warned.

"Let me do the talking," Howard said.

What appeared to be city guards on patrol came up to the caravan. For some reason, they didn't seem all that concerned about the monsters eyeing them nervously.

"Just go into city limits didn't you," the leader stated more than questioned.

"More or less. I assume by you lack of a reaction to my...odd group of passengers you know what where they are heading," Howard replied.

"Yes but unfortunately we have to do some questioning. Half the country tore itself apart when a group of monsters escaped Val Harbour."

Seeing little room for debate, Howard sighed before allowing the guards to take control over the caravan. The hunters were less compliant and voiced their displeasure but nevertheless followed. The loudest however was Susan.

 _I am going to kill Richard for this_ , Circus thought to himself as his ears rang painfully.

"Are we going home daddy?" Phantom asked, not caring at all to the shrieking.

"Hopefully soon Phantom," Sparky answered.

An hour later, the monsters found themselves comfortably placed (or as much as possible in Susan's case) in a stable away from prying eyes. They were quickly met by the guild official from Val Harbor as well as a man they didn't recognize.

"Well I'll be damned... It's been a hectic few months for you as well huh," the man stated in mild surprise.

"What Tom here really means to say is hello. Can't say I blame him for being amazed though, I am as well considering," the official stated.

"Perhaps I should do the explaining here," Tom said, "I'm a part of the Dragon Watch and I've been keeping track of this little adventure since you left Respite. I must say it's been a hell of of a goose chase to find you."

"Daddy, what's a 'goose chase'?" Phantom asked.

"Not now Phantom," Sparky replied.

"Now if only we can have the same compliance with the alatreon," the official sighed as he noticed the monsters behaving themselves.

"Merlin?" Richard questioned.

"I assumed they were responsible for it," the perked interest didn't go unnoticed by Tom.

"How about we give them some time to relax first, then you can pester them to no end about elder dragons helping them," the official said.

As the two men left, leaving the monsters to properly relax, they headed to the other members of the caravan. They arrived just in time to find Howard arguing with a customs inspector while the hunters and felyne waited on the side with steaming food in hand from a nearby street kitchen.

"I'm telling you there is nothing wrong with my goods! So either inspect them the way you are supposed to or get someone who isn't a bastard!" Howard yelled.

"I ain't trusting any of that stuff. Probably is-" the inspector started.

"Enough! We have bigger issues than this," the official broke in, "Inspect the supplies and be done with it."

"But-"

"But nothing! In case you have forgotten we are expecting not one but two elder dragons to hit us at the same exact time any hour at this rate."

The inspector huffed but did not complain. After all, the entire city was on its edge so some means of venting was to be expected...everywhere.

"What's this madness about now?" Helen asked.

"Right right right, you just got here. Here's what's going on," Tom spoke up, "Long story short is that we have two of the most dangerous elder dragons on record ready to slam into town soon. Not sure why but for whatever reason it's happening. Damndest coincidence I have ever seen though and I've seen some pretty weird stuff following those monsters you brought in."

"What our foreign friend here is trying to say without the extra nonsense is that we have a shagaru magala and a gogmazios coming in at the same time. The city is built to handle such events but two at once? That's rare and nasty," the official explained.

"Well now what? As you can tell this is a bit above our pay grade," Elliot muttered.

"Why is everything getting stranger by the second ever since we met those monsters?" Walter questioned.

"It gets odder...I think they befriended an alatreon which they have stored somewhere," Tom stated.

"A bloody alatreon!?" Howard exclaimed.

"I think I remember they mentioning they made a friend in a volcano when I met them," Helen remarked getting stares, "What? They said a friend not who or what it was."

"Well the made friends with an abyssal lagiacrus and a goldbeard ceadeus the first time I saw them so them being responsible for the alatreon I observed is not surprising at this point," Tom said.

"That's it, I'm staying with them whenever an elder dragon shows up," Walter exclaimed before shoving more food into his mouth.

"Conversation manners aside, I assume you want us to help with the defense," Victoria spoke up.

"We could use the help," the official agreed, "But this won't be as simple as a normal hunt."

"Well...call me a bit of a nut but I'm pretty sure we might have something a lot more powerful than we originally thought," Elliot said.

"Ah no. We are not dragging them into this. Especially him," Helen stated.

"Something tells me it's one of our little mystery friends isn't it?" Tom asked.

"Well in fairness he did fry a deviljho," Elliot stated.

"Just what kind of monsters do they have in Respite? I thought you said they were safe," the official exclaimed.

"Small ones that still can make your life miserable if you're not careful," Helen retorted as she glared at Elliot.

"Perhaps we can all use a rest," Howard interjected, "I know for a fact I do. Besides, we can worry about elder dragons when elder dragons come knocking. No sense in killing each other to make their job of destroying the city easier."

With that they all agreed. The road to the city was a hectic one and if there was going to be any logical reasoning on what to do with the monsters, it would best be done when everyone had a level head.


	23. Chapter 22: End of the Wheel

Chapter 22: End of the Wheel

Other than Susan being forced to stay at "bed rest", the monsters found themselves comfortable. They were mostly ignored by the guards and any hunters who attempted to give them issues were immediately sent away. The only thing that seemed to give them any pause was a whispering rumor about an elder dragon attack. Sparky knew they did not mean Phantom and the feeling of dread that occurred at the wedding so long ago was coming back.

"Well, this is all fine and dandy but I for one want to know why everyone is nervous," Circus said in response to the nervous bouncing of the guards outside.

"Something is coming," Nancy said, shocking everyone due to her silence.

"Uh...Nancy?" Sparky asked.

"Something terrible is coming. It's angry and in pain."

"How do you know?"

"The wind. It carries the scent of what is coming."

That Sparky could understand. Nancy lived out in the wilds and knew how to spot these things similarly as to how he could spot the subtle difference in street territories. If what she was saying is true, however, then that...nightmare was coming back.

And then it hit him. All this searching, all the pain, the depression, the hell he dragged his friends through all because of one damned demon. Well he wanted to kill it himself with righteous anger and if he could impress other elder dragons than he will certainly fry that thing with enough energy to shatter a mountain. The truly scary thing is that he had the potential. He knew he had it and no amount of insects making a colony in his fur could even close to the maelstrom inside of him. He never knew where this power came from and probably had no clue to what its true limit was, but he instinctively knew he was far more dangerous than he would ever outwardly admit. Regardless, if all hell would break loose then he would make sure he would be at the center of it.

"Daddy?" Phantom's voice broke the silent fury of thoughts going through his head.

"It's nothing Phantom," Sparky said to his son.

 _I call lie on that but he knows how to handle these things better than I do_ , Richard thought to himself before realizing in horror what his future will hold if his kids are going to be anything like Phantom.

In the dungeons below:

Merlin for all intents and purposes was sick and tired of sitting in the same spot. Has been for the first few hours, let alone however long it has been until now. The day he gets back to the Volcano could not happen soon enough. His only hope was that he could do it without causing too much harm to the city since he had nothing personal against its inhabitants (well, the guards yes but the average person he could care less about). These thoughts however were interrupted by someone standing in front of his cage.

"So...you're the alatreon that the others somehow made friends with if all these rumors are true," the felyne said.

 _Eh? Oh right! The reason why you're here in the first place_ , he thought as he stared with interest.

"I can assume you want out of this mess and I can also assume you can understand me. So there is a proposition for you, help fend off two elder dragons and you'll be given freedom."

Now this was surprising. The other alatreons would have balked under this but Merlin was so used to wanting a way out he did not even have to think about refusing. Still, fighting an elder dragon was enough to make him pause despite knowing full well of his capabilities. Alatreons were not known to challenge others for territory and even if two had a disagreement they would more likely end up asking a council to help settle it. It was funny actually, so much raw power that could destroy mountains and it was held back out of seclusion and preservation of the Volcano (supposedly an entire chamber was made since one unleashed a full on attack when on the hunt which almost caused the entire place to blow).

"Now the only question is how to get an answer from you..." she continued rambling.

 _Oh for the love of life, just let me loose already_ , Merlin thought.

"Alright, I think I've got it. Blink once for yes, twice for no."

 _Really?_ , one blink.

"Well, that settles that," she stated and went around the corner, "Helen just what the hell are you thinking?"

 _I can still hear you._

Elsewhere:

"So what do you want first? The bad news or the other bad news?" Tom asked.

"The other bad news," the official sighed.

"Well we do have enough hunters to mount a defense here but most of them aren't experienced enough to be considered ready to take on even one of the elder dragons. Tactics involved may as well be what jaggi's do."

"Well that's just great. What's the bad news then?"

"We're dealing with not one Frenzy infected beast but two. Don't ask me how but the gogmazios is Frenzied."

"Bloody hell."

"Yup."

"Any ideas?"

"A few. Are they good? Probably not."

"How about your friends from your country? This...Jerry fellow?"

"Jerry? Don't make me laugh. He's a usefull in a fight as a mailman is useful for cooking royal dinners. The best he can do at this point is pray for us."

"What about the monsters? Think they can help?"

"Maybe...but if I understand this Frenzy business they might go berserk on us."

"And yet they have a gore magala with them and they are unharmed."

"You've also stated it's an unusual one."

The debate was quickly interrupted by the sound of horns and bells. The time of planning was over for the elder dragons have arrived. The entire city only paused long enough to realize the noise before springing into action. Citizens fled from the streets to lock down their homes while hunters and guards rushed to prepare for the battle.

"Guess this explains that whatever was coming is here," Circus stated as the noise increased.

"Think we should help?" Richard asked.

Sparky briefly ran scenarios through his head before making his decision, "I will."

"Oh he-heck. Of course you would," Richard groaned.

"Daddy?" Phantom had no idea what was happening.

"I need to...take care of something. I'll be back later."

The confused gore magala watched as his father left the room. The other monsters briefly shared the stare before looking towards each other.

"Come on, let's make sure his fur is still on him," Circus said as he and Richard got up and left, "We'll be back! Nancy watch over him!"

Nancy just stared in shock while Phantom tried to make sense out of what just happened. Grownups are still strange.

At the Battlequarters:

Helen joined the hunters as they headed for the outer walls. Already the loud noises of cannon fire and other explosions were evident that the battle would be long. She could only hope that if they released the alatreon from the holding pens it would actually help and not destroy half the city.

"Elliot long range artillery, keep firing until your bowgun melts and then do the same for the next one you grab. Victoria get in close and fast with surgical hits, hit them where it'll hurt the most. Helen you do what you think is best since I have no clue how you fight. I'll be the idiot holding them back," Walter said as they ran.

"I might run out of ammo before my gun breaks Walter. And try to stay out of my crosshairs," Elliot replied.

"You might also want to watch what colors you're aiming at," Victoria stated as she eyed three very familiar shapes.

"Oh hell I thought-" Helen began.

"Hey, I didn't say a thing to them since getting here," Elliot defended himself.

It probably had to be Sparky's anger at the one of the elder dragons for some reason or another to spur him into this while the others joined for whatever reason they had. The only hope they had was that he could fry the things before he got infected by the Frenzy. If anything can fry a deviljho with a combination of lightning and the dragon element without being Frenzied, then heavens above help them all should Sparky get Frenzied.

"Move! It's going to-!" a loud shout was heard before a wall blew up.

"Uh, what just blew up with that wall?" Victoria asked.

"I think the dragonator just did," Elliot said weakly as he noticed the flailing drills.

The dragonator. Of course the wall to blow was the one that was the most important. Even with the weapon damaged that wall was the last line of defence holding elder dragons back. Most would be content to fight in the prepared battlefield but there always was one that took the fight into the city. But never has that wall be destroyed, let alone in such spectacular fashion.

"Okay, same plan just keep running," Walter said.

"What about them?" Helen asked as she gestured to the small monsters nearby.

"They can handle themselves...I think."

The monsters however had different ideas. Clearly it was not just suicidal enough to go up against large variations of themselves, no they had to go up against monsters that could sit on them and not notice they crushed something.

"Sparky just what the bloody hell are we supposed to do?!" Richard yelled.

"Anything we can!" the angry zinogre howled before the air around him crackled.

"I'm already going to lose whatever extra years off of my life were left before this anyway," Circus muttered before flinging fireballs at the gogmazios nearby.

Richard flew up before flinging spikes at the shagaru magala below. As expected the spikes bounced off but it did get the things attention away from the hunters it was about to crush.

"Yeah that's right you ugly bastard! How do you like it when someone ruins your life?!" he yelled.

"Destroy!" the shagaru screeched in madness.

"Burn!" the gogmazios seemed to agree.

"Both of you shut up!" an oddly familiar voice roared.

"Where did that come from?!" a hunter yelled.

"Don't know, don't care as long as it's on our side!" another replied as they noticed the third elder dragon fought against the invading two.

Merlin found breaking free to be stupidly easy and blamed his unwillingness to harm the humans the reason why he took so long to do so. Now he was free and could unleash his pent up frustration on very appeasing targets. He showed his pleasure in doing so by unleashing several elements all at once.

"Glad to see you again Merlin!" Richard called.

"Richard? Ha, it's been a while!" Merlin replied

"Less talk more attacking! Sparky is down there!" Circus called.

The zinogre in question danced between stomps, puddles of oily tar, and rubble as he zapped the two elder dragons with plenty of voltage. While the gogmazios was a concern, he had his focus on the shagaru. It stole Phantom from him and there was more than just hell to pay for that.

"Watch it!" Victoria shouted as he struck the shagaru again.

 _No, get out of my way_ , Sparky thought.

"It's getting angry! Everyone duck and cover!" a voice somewhere yelled before the shagaru magala let loose its most terrifying power.

Sparky had no idea what hit him but something exploded in his face. A myriad of incomprehensible screams raged through his head. Pain, anger, sadness, it was all a rush that was pouring acid through his veins. But there was something far worse in that cocktail of emotions. Sparky thought he was unleashing his full potential but with the added Frenzy he was more than a lightning storm.

 _No...I'm not finished_ , a twisted part of his mind snarled.

"What happened to him?" Circus whispered.

"Not good. Walter..." Hellon called.

"I see him," Walter replied.

Forget the pain, forget the sadness, forget everything but the burning wrath of an uncaged beast, because the maelstrom inside Sparky was ready to be released, "I'm not finished with you at all!"

The gogmazios was the first elder dragon to take notice of the fireworks display beneath it. It didn't take much heed of the crackling energy until its entire body was shocked. Add in the explosive nature of its tar and the entire gogmazios suffered from internal combustion and severe burning on the outside. After it was thoroughly barbequed, the enraged zinogre turned his focus towards the shagaru which roared back in defiance.

"Any ideas?" Richard asked as he flew down to Circus.

"Other than what we were doing further away? Run like hell back to Respite," Circus answered weakly.

"I'm seriously hoping Phantom isn't seeing any of this."

"You and me both. I've known him longer than you have and this is terrifying."

"What are going to do about that?" a hunter asked nearby Elliot as they watched the chaotic fight that even the alatreon was staying out of.

"Anyone with range attack. If you have to get close...run," Elliot suggested before popping in a few shells and firing at the shagaru.

"Victoria, Helen, get behind me!" Walter yelled as he blocked a piece of flying debris.

"Just how are we supposed to deal with that?!" VIctoria yelled.

"Let him get it out of his system and stay out of his way. That's all we can do," Helen answered.

"I assume you are familiar with the bloody Frenzy?" Walter questioned.

"If we survive I'll tell that one over a meal or three," was the only response he got.

 _Just what is he?_ , Merlin watched from above in shock at the battle below.

The shagru had no real emotions other than madness. But it understood emotions in others and it knew the blessed zinogre in front of it wanted to kill it. Good, let it. Life was a disease that only existed to be destroyed. The little one was a failed cause but this zinogre...was perfect. Raw power that could render the mightiest of creatures to nothing. But it was fighting the gift like those pesky hunters.

"Destroy!" it shrieked.

"Oh I will," Sparky snarled with more control than before now that the Frenzy had less grip over his sanity, "You're going to wish you never took Phantom."

It was a simple matter really. Oh it was so easy to just finish this. That thing wanted something destroyed? It would get its wish. With one final howl an unimaginable amount of raw power surged towards the shagaru magala which managed to resist for only a second. After that one second it was dead and would stay standing well after the shock died down.

The hunters carefully eyed the passed out zinogre minutes after the display. It did not display any signs of the Frenzy and short of sizzled fur it was no worse for wear than when it joined the fight. However, no one was wanting to become another charred statue of bones because it was woken up. It was a bit of a surprise that the other two small monsters were the ones to poke it as well as the alatreon (which everyone gave a healthy amount of personal space for) to look concerned. Eventually, the small monsters were returned to the holding ground they were staying at.

"Well hopefully we don't have anymore issues," Richard said tiredly as he sat down.

 _Wait for it_ , Circus thought.

"There's what now?" the guild official who was investigating asked.

"You heard me," Tom said, "They're barrioth/nargacuga hybrids. Looks like our nargacuga friend here is a father."

"Not a word," Richard glared at Circus who smirked in return.

"I have cousins?" Phantom asked.

"What are cousins?" Nancy questioned, not at all familiar with the term.

 _Why me?_ , Richard groaned as Circus laughed.


	24. Chapter 23: Back at Home

Chapter 23: Back at Home

John and Grace were still tired. It has been almost a year since the monsters have left leaving the house rather quiet. Still, they carried out their jobs and the city kept on going. Still was too quiet for them though.

"I just can't understand why they left," John sighed as he stared out the window one afternoon.

"They must have had a reason to go to different places. Why else would they go where they went?" Grace asked.

"I don't know. I can't believe I'm going to say this but ever since the wedding things have actually gotten worse. Uh, not between us of course but-"

"Relax John, I know what you meant."

It really was a mess. Sparky being depressed, half the city being wrecked, the missing trouble that Phantom would cause, and now the lack of even their faithful pets to bring any comfort on the matter. Several of the rangers tried to comfort them but...it was still too quiet.

A knocking on the door however broke their thoughts. Sharing a brief look, Grace opened the door to find what appeared to be a dragon watch official standing outside.

"Can we help you?" she asked.

"Are you the owners of a nargacuga, barrioth, hybrid zinogre, and a gore magala?" he asked.

"We were."

"Well...you are once again," the man replied before stepping out of the way to reveal a very unkept but familiar group of monsters.

All of them, including the ones that were unfamiliar, rushed indoors to the shock of John and Grace.

"Where in the world did you find them?" John asked as Susan tackled him purring.

"That's a crazy story my brother Tom will have to tell you. All I ever did is get his messages," was the answer.

"Well we need to thank someone for getting them home."

"Name's Jerry. Just be wary about any of their friends that may stop by."

"What do you mean by that?" Grace asked.

"When you see an alatreon you'll know."

Half a year later:

"What the hell are those doing here?!" a hunter yelled as they noticed Phantom and Circus fishing after getting off a boat.

"Fishing by the looks of it," a fisherman answered before ignoring the stuttering hunter.

"Typical hunters," Circus muttered as he wheeled in a glutton tuna.

"Could be worse," Phantom replied.

"Mm-hmm. Aren't you expected home soon?"

"Oh yeah! Bye!"

Phantom raced back home. Stopping by the door he waited until something crashed before walking inside. John somehow managed to get a salad in his face while he chased a trio of hybrid felynes.

"I think you've pestered the owner long enough," Phantom said as the kittens pouted, "None of that unless you want me to tell your parents."

"I thought I was the one supposed to threaten them," Sparky said as he sighed tiredly.

Phantom could only laugh at this. It took a little bit of time to get completely used to being in the city again but during the time he mattered quite well. Afterall, he was over a year old by now.

"And here I'm wondering which one of you is going to kill me first," John sighed as Grace came in to notice him covered in salad.

"Kittens or pups?" she asked.

"Kittens."

"And speaking of pups, I think some are wanting to play with their older brother," Sparky said as a few zinogre pups bounded out of a bedroom.

Phantom began playing with his siblings while Sparky watched. Two years ago this would have been less than a dream, now it was reality. Nancy walked up behind him and watched with him. She no longer was shy but walked with pride in her step.

"They really do grow up," he said to her.

"And we wouldn't want them any other way," she replied.

"Getting good with words I see."

"I learn from the best."

The day slowly continued as the family enjoyed themselves. The youngsters enjoyed meals of freshly cooked fish, Phantom was busy eating nulberries, and the adults talked about their memories. Half the island was in shock when they got home and then there was the mess involving Steve...again...but they were home. Hopefully there won't be any new surprises for a long while.


	25. Author's Closing Note

**Book Typewriter here and I must thank each and everyone of you who have stayed with me. It has been a long road writing this and for a first Fan Fic I hope it was at least entertaining. I know not as heavy on the action as in other Monster Hunter stories but it never was supposed to be. Also, I know the climax was a bit anti-climatic but I will admit things at this point have ran out of steam and I figure it was time to end this. Still, if anyone enjoyed it then that counts as a win in my book. I must thank Dashboardgecko however for indirectly inspiring me with his work and if you haven't read "The Lost Civilization" do so because it's great (this is not advertising but giving credit to where it's due). If interested in future projects, take a look at my profile and let me know about certain ideas.**

 **Until then, farewell!**

 **Book Typewriter**


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